How to Say "powder" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “powder” is “polvo” — use 'polvo' when referring to a general finely ground substance, especially dust that needs cleaning, or cosmetic powders..
polvo
POHL-boh/ˈpol.βo/
Examples
El maquillaje viene en polvo para matificar la piel.
The makeup comes in powder to mattify the skin.
Necesitas limpiar el polvo de esa mesa.
You need to clean the dust off that table.
La receta pide una cucharada de polvo de hornear.
The recipe calls for a tablespoon of baking powder.
Después de la sequía, había mucho polvo en el camino.
After the drought, there was a lot of dust on the road.
Gender Reminder
Even though many things that scatter or are fine particles are feminine (like la arena or la ceniza), polvo is always masculine: el polvo.
harina
/ah-REE-nah//aˈɾina/
Examples
Compré harina de trigo para hacer galletas.
I bought wheat flour to make cookies.
Necesito comprar un kilo de harina para hacer pan.
I need to buy a kilo of flour to make bread.
Mezcla la harina con los huevos y la leche.
Mix the flour with the eggs and the milk.
Hay diferentes tipos de harina, como la de trigo o la de maíz.
There are different types of flour, such as wheat or corn flour.
Feminine Noun
This word is feminine, so you should always use feminine words with it, like 'la harina' or 'mucha harina'.
Silent H
The 'h' at the beginning is completely silent. It sounds exactly like it starts with the letter 'a'.
The Silent H
Mistake: “Pronouncing it as 'jarina'.”
Correction: The 'h' is silent in Spanish. Pronounce it as /ah-ree-nah/.
Confusing Flour with General Powder/Dust
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.