How to Say "sixteen" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “sixteen” is “dieciséis” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Tengo dieciséis años.
I am sixteen years old.
Hay dieciséis sillas en el salón.
There are sixteen chairs in the room.
Hoy es el dieciséis de septiembre.
Today is the sixteenth of September.
The One-Word Rule
In Spanish, the numbers from 16 to 29 are written as one single word. This is different from numbers like 31 (treinta y uno), which are written as three words.
Why the Accent Mark?
Because the words 'diez' (ten) and 'seis' (six) were combined, the stress falls on the very last syllable. To keep the pronunciation correct, we must add an accent mark on the 'e'.
Spelling it as three words
Mistake: “diez y seis”
Correction: dieciséis. Although 'diez y seis' was used in the past, it is now considered incorrect in modern Spanish.
Mixing up the vowels
Mistake: “diecisies”
Correction: dieciséis. Remember it ends exactly like the word for six ('seis').
Related Translations
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