Inklingo

How to Say "horrible" in Spanish

English → Spanish

horrible

/oh-REE-bleh//oˈri.ble/

adjectiveA2general
Use this adjective when describing something as generally terrible, awful, or disgusting, similar to its direct English cognate.
A colorful illustration of a picnic blanket and basket soaked by heavy, dark rain, symbolizing a horrible situation or experience.

Examples

La película fue horrible, no me gustó nada.

The movie was horrible, I didn't like it at all.

Tuve un día horrible en el trabajo.

I had a horrible day at work.

El tráfico a esta hora es horrible.

The traffic at this time is horrible.

One Form for Masculine and Feminine

Unlike many Spanish adjectives that end in '-o' or '-a', horrible always stays the same for both masculine and feminine things. You say un día horrible (a horrible day) and una película horrible (a horrible movie).

Making it Plural

To talk about more than one thing, just add an 's' to the end. For example, días horribles (horrible days) or películas horribles (horrible movies).

Forgetting it's the Same for Masculine/Feminine

Mistake: “El día fue horriblo.”

Correction: Say `El día fue horrible`. Words ending in '-ble' like `horrible`, `terrible`, or `posible` don't change their ending for masculine or feminine things.

Pronunciation of the 'h'

Mistake: “Pronouncing the 'h' at the beginning like in the English word 'horrible'.”

Correction: The 'h' in Spanish is always silent. Start the word with the 'o' sound: /o-REE-bleh/.

terrible

/teh-REE-bleh//teˈrible/

adjectiveA2general
Choose this word to emphasize extreme unpleasantness or a very bad quality, often used for situations or experiences that are deeply disappointing.
A sad child frowning at a ruined, soggy sandwich that has completely fallen apart on a blanket, illustrating something that is very bad or awful.

Examples

La película fue terrible, no me gustó nada.

The movie was terrible, I didn't like it at all.

Tuvimos un accidente terrible en la autopista.

We had a terrible accident on the highway.

Siento un dolor de cabeza terrible.

I have a terrible headache.

Matching with Nouns

'Terrible' is an adjective, a word that describes things. It needs to match the thing it's describing. The good news is it's the same for masculine and feminine things ('un día terrible', 'una noche terrible'). For plural things, just add an '-s' ('días terribles', 'noches terribles').

Placement Matters

Mistake: “Vi una terrible película.”

Correction: Vi una película terrible. In Spanish, descriptive words like 'terrible' usually come *after* the thing they describe. It's the opposite of English and a great way to sound more natural!

espantoso

ess-pahn-TOH-soh/es.panˈto.so/

adjectiveA2general
Use this term when the 'horrible' quality is so extreme it inspires fear or shock, often referring to something visually disturbing or of exceptionally poor quality.
A child grimaces in disgust while holding a rotten, green apple covered in mold and emitting a foul odor.

Examples

La comida en ese restaurante era espantosa.

The food in that restaurant was awful.

Llevaba un traje espantoso a la boda.

He wore a hideous suit to the wedding.

Tuvimos un tráfico espantoso al salir de la ciudad.

We had dreadful traffic leaving the city.

Agreement is Key

Since 'espantoso' is an adjective, make sure it matches the thing it describes in gender (o/a) and number (s/es). E.g., 'una película espantosa' (a horrible movie).

Horrible vs. Terrible vs. Espantoso

Learners often use 'horrible' and 'terrible' interchangeably, which is generally acceptable as they are very close in meaning. The main point of confusion is knowing when to use 'espantoso'; reserve it for when something is truly shocking, frightening, or exceptionally bad, rather than just unpleasant.

Related Translations

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