How to Say "theory" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “theory” is “teoría” — use 'teoría' when referring to a well-developed explanation or set of principles, especially in academic, scientific, or formal contexts.
Use 'teoría' when referring to a well-developed explanation or set of principles, especially in academic, scientific, or formal contexts.
Learn more →Use 'hipótesis' when you want to express a guess, a tentative explanation, or an unproven idea, often in a more informal or preliminary way.
Learn more →teoría
Examples
La teoría de la relatividad revolucionó la física.
The theory of relativity revolutionized physics.
hipótesis
Examples
Tengo la hipótesis de que el retraso se debe al tráfico.
I have a theory that the delay is due to traffic.
Teoría vs. Hipótesis
Learners often confuse 'teoría' and 'hipótesis' by using 'teoría' for simple guesses. Remember that 'teoría' implies a more structured and often scientifically supported explanation, while 'hipótesis' is a preliminary guess or assumption.
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