pelos
“pelos” means “hair” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
hair, hairs
Also: fuzz
📝 In Action
Tienes pelos de gato en el sofá.
A2You have cat hairs on the sofa.
Me depilé los pelos de las piernas.
B1I waxed the hair on my legs.
Se me ponen los pelos de punta con esa canción.
B2That song makes my hair stand on end (gives me goosebumps).
by a hair's breadth, just barely
Also: by the skin of one's teeth
📝 In Action
Llegamos al cine por los pelos antes de que empezara la película.
B2We got to the movie theater just barely before the film started.
El coche me pasó por los pelos.
C1The car missed me by a hair's breadth.
to not mince words, to be outspoken
Also: to speak one's mind
📝 In Action
Mi jefa no tiene pelos en la lengua y dice lo que piensa.
C1My boss doesn't mince words and says what she thinks.
A veces es bueno tener pelos en la lengua para defenderte.
C2Sometimes it's good to be outspoken to defend yourself.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: pelos
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'pelos' to mean 'just barely'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word *pilus*, which meant 'a hair'. The word evolved naturally into the Spanish 'pelo' and its plural form 'pelos'. Many related words across Romance languages share this root.
First recorded: Before the 10th century (as 'pelo')
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'pelo' and 'cabello'?
'Pelo' is the general word for hair, including body hair. 'Cabello' is typically used specifically and only for the hair on a person's head, especially when talking about style or beauty. However, 'pelo' is perfectly fine to use for head hair too, especially in the plural 'pelos'.
Why is 'pelos' often used when talking about hair in general?
Spanish often uses the plural form of a countable noun (like 'pelos' for individual strands) to refer to the substance or a large collective amount of that thing, especially when thinking of it as many pieces (like hair or sand).