How to Say "star" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “star” is “estrella” — use 'estrella' for a literal celestial body in the night sky, a famous performer or celebrity, or as a symbol for rating quality (like hotel stars).
estrella
es-TREH-yahesˈtɾe.ʝa
Examples
Por la noche, me gusta mirar las estrellas.
At night, I like to look at the stars.
El sol es la estrella más importante de nuestro sistema solar.
The sun is the most important star in our solar system.
Pedí un deseo cuando vi la estrella fugaz.
I made a wish when I saw the shooting star.
Mi actor favorito es una gran estrella de cine.
My favorite actor is a big movie star.
Always a Feminine Word
'Estrella' is a feminine noun, so you always use 'la' or 'una' with it. For example, 'la estrella' (the star) or 'una estrella brillante' (a bright star).
Feminine Even for Men
Even if you're talking about a male celebrity, the word 'estrella' itself stays feminine. You say, 'Él es una estrella famosa' (He is a famous star).
Using 'un' for a male star
Mistake: “Él es un estrella de Hollywood.”
Correction: Él es una estrella de Hollywood. The word 'estrella' is always feminine, no matter who it describes.
estrella
es-TREH-yahesˈtɾe.ʝa
Examples
Mi actor favorito es una gran estrella de cine.
My favorite actor is a big movie star.
Por la noche, me gusta mirar las estrellas.
At night, I like to look at the stars.
El sol es la estrella más importante de nuestro sistema solar.
The sun is the most important star in our solar system.
Pedí un deseo cuando vi la estrella fugaz.
I made a wish when I saw the shooting star.
Always a Feminine Word
'Estrella' is a feminine noun, so you always use 'la' or 'una' with it. For example, 'la estrella' (the star) or 'una estrella brillante' (a bright star).
Feminine Even for Men
Even if you're talking about a male celebrity, the word 'estrella' itself stays feminine. You say, 'Él es una estrella famosa' (He is a famous star).
Using 'un' for a male star
Mistake: “Él es un estrella de Hollywood.”
Correction: Él es una estrella de Hollywood. The word 'estrella' is always feminine, no matter who it describes.
estrella
es-TREH-yahesˈtɾe.ʝa
Examples
Nos quedamos en un hotel de cinco estrellas.
We stayed in a five-star hotel.
Por la noche, me gusta mirar las estrellas.
At night, I like to look at the stars.
El sol es la estrella más importante de nuestro sistema solar.
The sun is the most important star in our solar system.
Pedí un deseo cuando vi la estrella fugaz.
I made a wish when I saw the shooting star.
Always a Feminine Word
'Estrella' is a feminine noun, so you always use 'la' or 'una' with it. For example, 'la estrella' (the star) or 'una estrella brillante' (a bright star).
Feminine Even for Men
Even if you're talking about a male celebrity, the word 'estrella' itself stays feminine. You say, 'Él es una estrella famosa' (He is a famous star).
Using 'un' for a male star
Mistake: “Él es un estrella de Hollywood.”
Correction: Él es una estrella de Hollywood. The word 'estrella' is always feminine, no matter who it describes.
celebridad
seh-leh-bree-DAHDseleβɾiˈðað
Examples
Ella es una celebridad mundial.
She is a world-famous celebrity.
Había muchas celebridades en la fiesta de anoche.
There were many celebrities at the party last night.
No es fácil ser una celebridad y tener una vida normal.
It is not easy to be a celebrity and have a normal life.
Always Feminine
The word 'celebridad' is always feminine, even if you are talking about a man. You should always say 'una celebridad' and use feminine adjectives like 'una celebridad famosa'.
The '-dad' Rule
Words ending in '-dad' (like truth, city, or celebrity) are almost always feminine in Spanish.
Gender confusion
Mistake: “Él es un celebridad.”
Correction: Él es una celebridad. (Even though 'he' is male, the word 'celebridad' itself never changes its feminine gender.)
crack
krakˈkɾak
Examples
Messi es un crack en el fútbol.
Messi is a star at soccer.
¡Eres un crack! Gracias por arreglar mi ordenador.
You're a legend! Thanks for fixing my computer.
Mi hermana es una crack de las matemáticas.
My sister is a math whiz.
Using 'crack' for anyone
Although it is a masculine word ('un crack'), you can use it to describe both men and women. It is a way to say someone is the best at what they do.
Don't use it for 'breaks'
Mistake: “Using 'crack' to talk about a break in a wall or glass.”
Correction: In Spanish, a physical break or fissure is called a 'grieta' or 'raja.' Only use 'crack' for talented people or specific drug contexts.
ídolo
Examples
Lionel Messi es el ídolo de millones de niños.
Lionel Messi is the idol of millions of children.
as
ahsas
Examples
Ese piloto es un as de la Fórmula 1.
That driver is an ace/star of Formula 1.
La nueva abogada resultó ser un as en la corte.
The new lawyer turned out to be an ace in court.
Gender Usage
When referring to a person (male or female), 'as' always uses the masculine article ('un as', 'el as'), even if the person is female. For example: 'Ella es el as del equipo' (She is the team's ace).
Using the Feminine Article
Mistake: “La as del fútbol.”
Correction: El as del fútbol. Remember, the noun 'as' itself is masculine, even if the person it describes is a woman.
astro
ahs-trohˈas.tɾo
Examples
El Sol es el astro más importante para la vida en la Tierra.
The Sun is the most important celestial body for life on Earth.
Los antiguos navegantes se guiaban por los astros.
Ancient sailors guided themselves by the stars.
La Luna es el único astro que orbita nuestro planeta.
The Moon is the only heavenly body that orbits our planet.
El astro argentino marcó tres goles en el partido.
The Argentine star scored three goals in the match.
A general term
Unlike 'estrella' which specifically means a star, 'astro' is a broad term that can include planets, moons, or stars.
Always masculine
The word 'astro' is a masculine noun. You always use 'el' or 'un' with it, regardless of which object in space you are describing.
Noun for people
When referring to people, 'astro' is almost always used for men, particularly in sports news. For women, 'estrella' is the standard choice.
Using 'astro' for small stars
Mistake: “Mira los astros en el cielo.”
Correction: Mira las estrellas en el cielo.
Gender confusion
Mistake: “Ella es un astro del cine.”
Correction: Ella es una estrella del cine.
astro
ahs-trohˈas.tɾo
Examples
El astro argentino marcó tres goles en el partido.
The Argentine star scored three goals in the match.
El Sol es el astro más importante para la vida en la Tierra.
The Sun is the most important celestial body for life on Earth.
Los antiguos navegantes se guiaban por los astros.
Ancient sailors guided themselves by the stars.
La Luna es el único astro que orbita nuestro planeta.
The Moon is the only heavenly body that orbits our planet.
A general term
Unlike 'estrella' which specifically means a star, 'astro' is a broad term that can include planets, moons, or stars.
Always masculine
The word 'astro' is a masculine noun. You always use 'el' or 'un' with it, regardless of which object in space you are describing.
Noun for people
When referring to people, 'astro' is almost always used for men, particularly in sports news. For women, 'estrella' is the standard choice.
Using 'astro' for small stars
Mistake: “Mira los astros en el cielo.”
Correction: Mira las estrellas en el cielo.
Gender confusion
Mistake: “Ella es un astro del cine.”
Correction: Ella es una estrella del cine.
famoso
fah-MOH-sohfaˈmoso
Examples
Los famosos tienen una vida muy ocupada.
Celebrities have very busy lives.
Mi hermana quiere ser una famosa de la televisión.
My sister wants to be a TV star (a famous person on TV).
Vimos a un famoso comiendo en el restaurante.
We saw a celebrity eating at the restaurant.
Adjective Acting as a Noun
In Spanish, you can often use an adjective like 'famoso' directly as a noun simply by adding the article (el, la, los, las) in front of it. This lets you talk about the person or thing that has that quality.
leyenda
leh-YEHN-dahleˈʝen̪.da
Examples
Diego Maradona es una leyenda del fútbol argentino.
Diego Maradona is a legend of Argentine soccer.
La actriz se retiró después de convertirse en una leyenda viva.
The actress retired after becoming a living legend.
Gender Note
When referring to a person, 'leyenda' is still grammatically feminine, even if the person is a man (e.g., 'El jugador es una leyenda').
talento
tah-LEHN-tohtaˈlento
Examples
La empresa está buscando nuevo talento en el sector tecnológico.
The company is looking for new talent in the technology sector.
El festival de cine presentó al talento más prometedor del año.
The film festival presented the most promising talent of the year.
Referring to People
In this context, 'talento' works like a collective noun (like 'staff' or 'team'). You can use 'el talento' to mean 'the talented people' as a group, even though the word itself is singular.
sensación
Examples
El nuevo restaurante de tapas es la sensación del barrio.
The new tapas restaurant is the sensation (the big hit) of the neighborhood.
fenómeno
Examples
Dicen que el nuevo delantero es un fenómeno; marca goles en cada partido.
They say the new forward is a star; he scores goals in every game.
Choosing between 'estrella' and 'astro'
Related Translations
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