How to Say "poetry" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “poetry” is “poesía” — use 'poesía' when referring to the literary genre, the art form of writing poems, or poetry as a body of work.
poesía
Examples
Mi hermana estudia la historia de la poesía moderna.
My sister studies the history of modern poetry.
lira
LEE-rahˈliɾa
Examples
En la mitología griega, Orfeo tocaba la lira maravillosamente.
In Greek mythology, Orpheus played the lyre beautifully.
La lira es un instrumento de cuerda muy antiguo.
The lyre is a very ancient string instrument.
El poeta dedicó su vida a la lira.
The poet dedicated his life to his craft (the lyre).
Always Feminine
Even though it sounds like some masculine words ending in 'a', 'lira' is always feminine. Use 'la lira' or 'una lira'.
Plural Form
To talk about more than one, simply add an 's' to make 'liras'.
Spelling Confusion
Mistake: “Él toca la lyra.”
Correction: Él toca la lira.
Confusing the Art Form with Poetic Craft
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