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tontas

TON-tahsˈtontas

“tontas” means “silly” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

silly

Also: foolish, dumb
A girl wearing mismatched shoes and a colander as a hat, laughing playfully.

📝 In Action

Esas bromas son un poco tontas.

A1

Those jokes are a bit silly.

Ellas no son tontas; saben exactamente lo que hacen.

A2

They aren't foolish; they know exactly what they are doing.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • bobas (silly/naive)
  • necias (foolish/stubborn)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • preguntas tontas – silly questions
  • cosas tontas – silly things

fools

Also: silly girls
NounfA2informal
A group of girls wearing colorful costumes and oversized glasses, making funny faces together.

📝 In Action

¡No sean tontas, vengan a la fiesta!

A2

Don't be fools, come to the party!

Word Connections

Idioms & Expressions

  • A tontas y a locas – Doing something in a disorganized way without thinking it through.

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "tontas" in Spanish:

fools→silly girls→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: tontas

Question 1 of 1

Which of these would you describe as 'tontas'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
tonto(silly (masculine singular)) — Adjective
tontería(nonsense/silly thing) — Noun
tontamente(foolishly) — Adverb
🎵 Rhymes▼
montasfrontas
📚 Etymology▼

Likely comes from the Latin word 'attonitus', which described someone who was 'thunderstruck' or stunned into silence, eventually evolving to mean 'silly' or 'foolish' in Spanish.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: tontas

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'tontas' a mean word?

It depends on the tone! It can be a harsh insult, but among friends, it's often used playfully to mean 'silly' or 'goofy'.

Can I use 'tontas' for a group of mixed genders?

No. In Spanish, if there is one male in the group, the grammar rules require you to use the masculine form: 'tontos'.