How to Say "earth" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “earth” is “tierra” — use 'tierra' when referring to Earth as a planet in a scientific or geographical context, like its position in the solar system..
tierra
/TYEH-rrah//ˈtjera/
Examples
La Tierra es el tercer planeta del sistema solar.
Earth is the third planet in the solar system.
El astronauta vio la Tierra desde el espacio.
The astronaut saw the Earth from space.
Capital 'T' for Planet Earth
When you're talking about our planet, 'Earth', you must use a capital letter: 'la Tierra'. For all other meanings like 'soil' or 'ground', use a lowercase 't': 'la tierra'.
Forgetting the Capital Letter
Mistake: “El astronauta vio la tierra.”
Correction: El astronauta vio la Tierra. When it's our planet, it gets a capital letter, just like a person's name.
mundo
/moon-doh//ˈmundo/
Examples
El mundo es un lugar hermoso.
The world is a beautiful place.
Quiero viajar por todo el mundo.
I want to travel all over the world.
La Copa del Mundo es un evento muy popular.
The World Cup is a very popular event.
Always Masculine
'Mundo' is a masculine word, so you'll always use 'el mundo' or 'un mundo', never 'la' or 'una'.
terrestre
/te-RRES-tre//teˈrestre/
Examples
El globo terrestre es una representación de nuestro planeta.
The Earth's globe is a representation of our planet.
Buscamos señales de vida no terrestre.
We are looking for signs of non-Earth (extraterrestrial) life.
Adjective Placement
Like most descriptive adjectives in Spanish, 'terrestre' almost always comes AFTER the noun it describes.
Tierra vs. Mundo
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