How to Say "fictitious" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “fictitious” is “ficticio” — use 'ficticio' for anything that is not real and has been created, such as characters, stories, or even false identities.
ficticio
feek-TEE-syohfikˈtisjo
Examples
Sherlock Holmes es un personaje ficticio.
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character.
La historia ocurre en un mundo ficticio.
The story takes place in a fictional world.
Usó un nombre ficticio para entrar al club.
He used a fictitious name to enter the club.
Matching Endings
This word must change its ending to match the person or thing it describes. Use 'ficticio' for masculine items and 'ficticia' for feminine items. For plural, use 'ficticios' or 'ficticias'.
Word Order
In Spanish, you almost always place 'ficticio' after the noun you are describing, like 'un mundo ficticio' (a fictional world).
Confusing 'Ficticio' and 'Falso'
Mistake: “Using 'ficticio' for a broken promise or a lie.”
Correction: Use 'ficticio' for things created by imagination (books) or identity (fake names). Use 'falso' for things that are simply not true or deceptive.
inventado
een-vehn-TAH-dohim.benˈta.ðo
Examples
Su coartada era completamente inventada.
His alibi was completely made up.
La noticia resultó ser inventada por un periódico sensacionalista.
The news turned out to be fake (invented) by a sensationalist newspaper.
No te creas ese rumor; es inventado.
Don't believe that rumor; it's fake.
Adjusting the Ending
As an adjective, 'inventado' must change its ending to match the noun it describes: 'inventada' (f.), 'inventados' (m. plural), 'inventadas' (f. plural).
irreal
ee-rray-ahli.reˈal
Examples
El paisaje de ese planeta era totalmente irreal.
The landscape of that planet was totally unreal.
A veces tengo sueños que parecen muy reales, pero son irreales.
Sometimes I have dreams that seem very real, but they are unreal.
Vivimos en un mundo irreal creado por las redes sociales.
We live in an unreal world created by social media.
One form for everyone
This word doesn't change based on whether the thing you are describing is masculine or feminine. It always ends in 'l'.
Making it plural
To talk about more than one thing, simply add 'es' to the end to make it 'irreales'.
The 'i' vs 'un' prefix
Mistake: “Using 'unreal' or 'anreal' in Spanish.”
Correction: Always use 'irreal'. In Spanish, we often use 'ir-' before words starting with 'r' to mean 'not'.
Ficticio vs. Inventado
Related Translations
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