View source for Spanish language

{{Short description|Romance language}}
{{Redirect|Castilian language|the specific variety of the language|Castilian Spanish|the broader branch of Ibero-Romance|West Iberian languages}}
{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{CS1 config|mode=CS1}}
{{Infobox language
| name           = Spanish
| altname        = Castilian
| nativename     = {{hlist|{{lang|es|español}}|{{lang|es|castellano}}}}
| pronunciation  = {{IPA|es|espaˈɲol||Es-español.oga|}}<br/>{{IPA|es|kasteˈʝano||Es-Castellano.oga}}, {{IPA|es|kasteˈʎano||Es castellano 001.ogg}}
| states         = [[Spain]]<br>[[Hispanic America]]
| speakers       = [[first language|L1]]: {{sigfig|519.115|3}} million 
| date           = 2025
| ref            = <ref name=e27>{{Cite web |date=2025 |title=El Español en el mundo|url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_25/el_espanol_en_el_mundo_anuario_instituto_cervantes_2025.pdf |website=Instituto Cervantes}}</ref>
| speakers2      = [[second language|L2]]: {{sigfig|116.628|3}} million (2025)<ref name=e27/><br>
Total: {{sigfig|635.744|3}} million (2025)<ref name=e27/>
| speakers_label = Speakers
| familycolor    = Indo-European
| fam2           = [[Italic languages|Italic]]
| fam3           = [[Latino-Faliscan languages|Latino-Faliscan]]
| fam4           = [[Latin]] 
| fam5           = [[Romance languages|Romance]]
| fam6           = [[Italo-Western languages|Italo-Western]]
| fam7           = [[Western Romance languages|Western Romance]]
| fam8           = [[Gallo-Romance languages|Gallo]]-[[Iberian Romance languages|Iberian]]?
| fam9           = [[Iberian Romance languages|Ibero-Romance]]
| fam10          = [[West Iberian languages|West Iberian]]
| fam11          = [[Castilian languages|Castilian]]<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Eberhard|Simons|Fennig|2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|chapter=Castilic|chapter-url=http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/cast1243|editor1-first=Harald|editor1-last=Hammarström|editor2-first=Robert|editor2-last=Forkel|editor3-first=Martin|editor3-last=Haspelmath|editor4-first=Sebastian|editor4-last=Bank|year=2022|title=[[Glottolog|Glottolog 4.6]]|edition=|location=Jena, Germany|publisher=Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology|ref={{sfnref|Glottolog|2022}}|access-date=19 June 2022|archive-date=28 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528095200/https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/cast1243|url-status=live}}</ref>
| ancestor       = [[Vulgar Latin]]
| ancestor2      = [[Proto-Romance language|Proto-Romance]]
| ancestor3      = [[Old Spanish]]
| ancestor4      = [[Early Modern Spanish]]
| script         = [[Latin script]] ([[Spanish alphabet]])<br />[[Spanish Braille]]
| nation         = {{Collapsible list | titlestyle = font-weight:normal; background:transparent; text-align:left; | title = [[List of countries where Spanish is an official language|20
countries]]|
|[[Argentina]]
|[[Bolivia]]
|[[Chile]]
|[[Colombia]]
|[[Costa Rica]]
|[[Cuba]]
|[[Dominican Republic]]
|[[Ecuador]]
|[[El Salvador]]
|[[Equatorial Guinea]] 
|[[Guatemala]]
|[[Honduras]]
|[[Mexico]]
|[[Nicaragua]]
|[[Panama]]
|[[Paraguay]]
|[[Peru]]
|[[Spain]]
|[[Uruguay]]
|[[Venezuela]]}}
<br />{{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal; background:transparent; text-align:left;|title=[[List of countries where Spanish is an official language|Dependent territories]]|
|[[Puerto Rico]]}}
<!-- This list is intended for subnational territories that do not form an integral part of a country (such as Puerto Rico), as well as integral parts of nations that are not traditionally considered Spanish-speaking. Adding Ceuta and Melilla will result in deletion as they are integral parts of Spain. This also applies to Chile and the case of Easter Island. -->
<br />{{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal; background:transparent; text-align:left;|title=[[List of countries where Spanish is an official language|Partially recognized country]]|
|[[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]]}}
<!-- This list is intended for countries with limited recognition where Spanish is an official language. -->
<br />{{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal; background:transparent; text-align:left;| title = [[List of countries where Spanish is an official language#International organizations|International<br />organizations]]|
|[[African Union]]
|[[Andean Community]]
|[[Association of Caribbean States]]
|[[Caribbean Community]]
|[[Community of Latin American and Caribbean States|CELAC]]
|[[European Union]]
|[[Latin American Integration Association|ALADI]]
|[[Latin American Parliament]]
|[[Mercosur]]
|[[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]]
|[[Organization of American States]]
|[[United Nations]]
|[[Union of South American Nations]]
|[[Organization of Ibero-American States]]
|[[World Trade Organization]]}}
| agency         = [[Association of Spanish Language Academies]]<br />({{lang|es|[[Real Academia Española]]}} and 22 other national Spanish language academies)
| iso1           = es
| iso2           = spa
| iso3           = spa
| lingua         = 51-AAA-b
| sign           = [[Signed Spanish]] (using signs of the local language)
| glotto         = stan1288
| glottorefname  = Spanish
| map            = File:Map-Hispanophone World.svg
| mapcaption     = {{legend|#045a8d|Official majority language}}
{{legend|#0674b6|Co-official or administrative language but not majority native language}}
{{legend|#9bbae1|Secondary language (more than 20% Spanish speakers) or culturally important}}
| notice         = IPA
}}

'''Spanish''' ({{lang|es|español}}) or '''Castilian''' ({{lang|es|castellano}}) is a [[Romance languages|Romance language]] of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European language family]] that evolved from the [[Vulgar Latin]] spoken on the [[Iberian Peninsula]] of [[Europe]]. It originated in the [[Kingdom of Castile]], a historical kingdom in north-central [[Spain]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cultura.gob.es/cultura/archivos/diversidad-linguistica/lenguas/castellano.html |title=Castellano |trans-title=Castilian |website=Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte |publisher=Gobierno de España |language=es |quote=Its origins lie in the northern third of the Iberian Peninsula, in the '''Kingdom of Castile''', where other dialects of Latin intermingled, such as Galician–Portuguese, Astur–Leonese, and Navarro–Aragonese. |access-date=11 November 2025}}</ref> Today, it is a [[world language|global language]] with 519 million native speakers, mainly in the [[Americas]] and Spain, and about 636 million speakers total, including second-language speakers.<ref name=e27/> Spanish is the official language of [[List of countries where Spanish is an official language|20 countries]], as well as one of the [[Official languages of the United Nations|six official languages]] of the [[United Nations]].<ref name="un1">{{cite web | last=| first=| title=Official Languages | publisher=United Nations | url=https://www.un.org/en/our-work/official-languages | access-date=2024-01-05| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105190533/https://www.un.org/en/our-work/official-languages| archive-date=2024-01-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=In which countries of the world is this language spoken? |url=http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/countries_by_languages.htm |url-status=live |access-date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629022556/https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/countries_by_languages.htm |archive-date=29 June 2023}}</ref> Spanish is the world's [[list of languages by number of native speakers|second-most spoken native language]] after [[Mandarin Chinese]];<ref name="size">{{cite web |last1=Eberhard |first1=David M. |last2=Simons |first2=Gary F. |last3=Fennig |first3=Charles D. |date=2022 |title=Summary by language size |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/insights/ethnologue200/ |work=Ethnologue |publisher=SIL International |language=en-US |access-date=2 December 2023 |archive-date=18 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618002011/https://www.ethnologue.com/insights/ethnologue200/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Salvador |first=Yolanda Mancebo |title=Calderón en Europa |chapter-url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.31819/9783964565013-007/html |chapter=Hacia una historia de la puesta en escena de La vida es sueño |publisher=Vervuert Verlagsgesellschaft |year=2002 |pages=91–100 |isbn=978-3-96456-501-3 |language=es |doi=10.31819/9783964565013-007 |access-date=3 March 2022 |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303220424/https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.31819/9783964565013-007/html |url-status=live}}</ref> the world's [[list of languages by total number of speakers|fourth-most spoken language]] overall after [[English language|English]], Mandarin Chinese, and [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] ([[Hindi]]-[[Urdu]]); and the world's most widely spoken Romance language. The country with the largest population of native speakers is [[Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Countries with most Spanish speakers 2021 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/991020/number-native-spanish-speakers-country-worldwide/ |website=[[Statista]] |access-date=17 May 2022 |archive-date=17 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517000420/https://www.statista.com/statistics/991020/number-native-spanish-speakers-country-worldwide/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Spanish is part of the [[Iberian Romance languages|Ibero-Romance language group]], in which the language is also known as ''Castilian'' ({{Lang|es|castellano}}). The group evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin in Iberia after the [[collapse of the Western Roman Empire]] in the 5th century. The oldest Latin texts with traces of Spanish come from mid-northern Iberia in the 9th century,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vergaz |first=Miguel A. |title=La RAE avala que Burgos acoge las primeras palabras escritas en castellano |date=7 November 2010 |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/11/07/castillayleon/1289123856.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124225541/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/11/07/castillayleon/1289123856.html |newspaper=El Mundo |language=es-es |access-date=24 November 2010 |archive-date=24 November 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the first systematic written use of the language happened in [[Toledo (Spain)|Toledo]], a prominent city of the [[Kingdom of Castile]], in the 13th century. Spanish colonialism in the [[early modern period]] spurred the introduction of the language to overseas locations, most notably to the Americas.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rice |first=John |date=2010 |title=sejours linguistiques en Espagne |url=http://sejours-linguistiques-en-espagne.com/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118163355/http://sejours-linguistiques-en-espagne.com/index.html |archive-date=18 January 2013 |access-date=3 March 2022 |website=sejours-linguistiques-en-espagne.com}}</ref>

As a Romance language, Spanish is a descendant of Latin. Around 75% of modern Spanish vocabulary is Latin in origin, including Latin borrowings from Ancient Greek.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Comparán Rizo |first1=Juan José |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=caqn_7i6tvkC&pg=PA17 |title=Raices Griegas y latinas |publisher=Ediciones Umbral |isbn=978-968-5430-01-2 |page=17 |language=es |access-date=22 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Alongside English and [[French language|French]], it is also one of the most taught foreign languages throughout the world.<ref>[https://www.languagemagazine.com/2019/11/18/spanish-in-the-world/ Spanish in the World] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206042553/https://www.languagemagazine.com/2019/11/18/spanish-in-the-world/ |date=6 February 2021}}, ''Language Magazine'', 18 November 2019.</ref> Spanish is well represented in the [[humanities]] and [[social science]]s.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 March 2014 |title=El español se atasca como lengua científica |url=https://www.agenciasinc.es/Noticias/El-espanol-se-atasca-como-lengua-cientifica |work=Servicio de Información y Noticias Científicas |language=es |access-date=29 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222204919/https://www.agenciasinc.es/Noticias/El-espanol-se-atasca-como-lengua-cientifica |archive-date=22 February 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Spanish is also the third most used language on the internet by number of users after English and Chinese<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/internet-language |title=What Are The Most-Used Languages On The Internet? |work=+Babbel Magazine |last=Devlin |first=Thomas Moore |date=30 January 2019 |access-date=13 July 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206012715/https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/internet-language}}</ref> and the second most used language by number of websites after English.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_language |title=Usage statistics of content languages for websites |date=10 February 2024 |access-date=10 February 2024 |archive-date=17 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817192928/https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_language/all/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Spanish is used as an official language by [[List of countries and territories where Spanish is an official language#International organizations|many international organizations]], including the United Nations, [[European Union]], [[Organization of American States]], [[Union of South American Nations]], [[Community of Latin American and Caribbean States]], [[African Union]], and others.<ref name="un1"/>
{{TOC limit|3}}

== Name of the language and etymology ==
{{Main|Names given to the Spanish language}}

=== Name of the language ===
In Spain and some other parts of the Spanish-speaking world, Spanish is called not only {{lang|es|[[wikt:español#Spanish|español]]}} but also {{lang|es|[[wikt:castellano#Spanish|castellano]]}} (Castilian), the language from the [[Kingdom of Castile]], contrasting it with other [[languages of Spain|languages spoken in Spain]] such as [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Basque language|Basque]], [[Asturian language|Asturian]], [[Catalan language|Catalan/Valencian]], [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]], [[Occitan language|Occitan]] and other minor languages.

The [[Spanish Constitution of 1978]] uses the term {{lang|es|castellano}} to define the [[official language]] of the whole of Spain, in contrast to {{lang|es|las demás lenguas españolas}} ({{lit|the other [[languages of Spain|Spanish languages]]}}). Article III reads as follows:

{{blockquote|{{lang|es|El castellano es la lengua española oficial del Estado.&nbsp;... Las demás lenguas españolas serán también oficiales en las respectivas Comunidades Autónomas...}}<br />
Castilian is the official Spanish language of the State.&nbsp;... The other Spanish languages shall also be official in their respective Autonomous Communities...}}

The [[Real Academia Española|Royal Spanish Academy]] ({{Lang|es|Real Academia Española}}), on the other hand, currently uses the term {{lang|es|español}} in its publications. However, from 1713 to 1923, it called the language {{lang|es|castellano}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Problemas de la lengua española (I): La lengua, los niveles y la norma {{!}} Fundación Juan March |url=https://www.march.es/es/madrid/conferencia/problemas-lengua-espanola-i-lengua-niveles-norma |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=www.march.es |language=es}}</ref>

The {{lang|es|[[Diccionario panhispánico de dudas]]}} (a language guide published by the Royal Spanish Academy) states that, although the Royal Spanish Academy prefers to use the term {{lang|es|español}} in its publications when referring to the Spanish language, both terms—{{lang|es|español}} and {{lang|es|castellano}}—are regarded as synonymous and equally valid.<ref>Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, 2005, p.&nbsp;271–272.</ref>

===Etymology===
The term {{lang|es|castellano}} is related to [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]] ({{lang|es|Castilla}} or archaically {{lang|osp|Castiella}}), the kingdom where the language was originally spoken. The name ''Castile'', in turn, is usually assumed to be derived from {{lang|es|castillo}} ('castle').

In the [[Middle Ages]], the language spoken in Castile was generically referred to as {{lang|es|Romance}} and later also as {{lang|es|Lengua vulgar}}.<ref name="espania" /> Later in the period, it gained geographical specification as {{lang|es|Romance castellano}} ({{Lang|es|romanz castellano}}, {{Lang|es|romanz de Castiella}}), {{Lang|es|lenguaje de Castiella}}, and ultimately simply as {{lang|es|castellano}} (noun).<ref name="espania">{{Cite journal|title=De nuevo sobre los nombres medievales de la lengua de Castilla|first=Rafael|last=Cano Aguilar|doi=10.4000/e-spania.22518|journal=E-Spania|year=2013|volume=15 |issue=15|doi-access=free| issn = 1951-6169}}</ref>

Different etymologies have been suggested for the term {{lang|es|español}} (Spanish). According to the Royal Spanish Academy, {{lang|es|español}} derives from the [[Occitan language|Occitan]] word {{Lang|oc|espaignol}} and that, in turn, derives from the [[Vulgar Latin]] *{{lang|la|hispaniolus}} ('of Hispania').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dle.rae.es/?id=GUSX1EQ |title=español, la |work=Diccionario de la lengua española |publisher=Real Academia Espańola |access-date=13 July 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=24 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424193620/http://dle.rae.es/?id=GUSX1EQ}}</ref> [[Hispania]] was the Roman name for the entire [[Iberian Peninsula]].

There are other hypotheses apart from the one suggested by the Royal Spanish Academy. Spanish philologist [[Ramón Menéndez Pidal]] suggested that the classic {{lang|la|hispanus}} or {{lang|la|hispanicus}} took the suffix {{Lang|la|-one}} from [[Vulgar Latin]], as happened with other words such as {{lang|es|bretón}} (Breton) or {{lang|es|sajón}} (Saxon).{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

== History ==
{{Main|History of the Spanish language}}

[[File:CartulariosValpuesta.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Cartularies of Valpuesta]], written in a late form of Latin, were declared in 2010 by the Royal Spanish Academy as the record of the earliest words written in Castilian, predating those of the [[Glosas Emilianenses]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euskonews.com/udalak/valpuesta/cartularioshistoria.htm|title=cartularioshistoria|website=www.euskonews.com|access-date=22 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402124945/http://www.euskonews.com/udalak/valpuesta/cartularioshistoria.htm|archive-date=2 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>]]

Like the other [[Romance languages]], the Spanish language evolved from [[Vulgar Latin]], which was brought to the [[Iberian Peninsula]] by the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] during the [[Second Punic War]], beginning in 210 BC. Several pre-Roman languages (also called [[Paleohispanic languages]])—some distantly related to Latin as [[Indo-European languages]], and some that are not related at all—were previously spoken in the Iberian Peninsula. These languages included [[Proto-Basque language|Proto-Basque]], [[Iberian language|Iberian]], [[Lusitanian language|Lusitanian]], [[Celtiberian language|Celtiberian]] and [[Gallaecian language|Gallaecian]].

The first documents to show traces of what is today regarded as the precursor of modern Spanish are from the 9th century. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the [[modern era]], the most important [[Language contact|influence]]s on the Spanish lexicon came from neighboring [[Romance languages]]—[[Andalusi Romance|Mozarabic]] ([[Andalusi Romance]]), [[Navarro-Aragonese]], [[Leonese language|Leonese]], [[Catalan language|Catalan/Valencian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Occitan language|Occitan]], and later, [[French language|French]] and [[Italian language|Italian]]. Spanish also [[Loanword|borrowed]] a considerable number of words from [[Andalusi Arabic]], and a few from [[Basque language|Basque]]. In addition, many more words were borrowed from [[Latin]] through the influence of written language and the liturgical language of the Church. The loanwords were taken from both [[Classical Latin]] and [[Renaissance Latin]], the form of Latin in use at that time.

According to the theories of [[Ramón Menéndez Pidal]], local [[sociolect]]s of Vulgar Latin evolved into Spanish, in the north of Iberia, in an area centered in the city of [[Burgos]], and this dialect was later brought to the city of [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], where the written standard of Spanish was first developed, in the 13th century.<ref name="Penny1p16">{{Harvcoltxt|Penny|2000|p=16}}</ref> In this formative stage, Spanish developed a strongly differing variant from its close cousin, [[Leonese language|Leonese]], and, according to some authors, was distinguished by a heavy Basque influence (see [[Iberian Romance languages]]). This distinctive dialect spread to southern Spain with the advance of the {{lang|es|[[Reconquista]]}}, and meanwhile gathered a sizable lexical influence from the [[Arabic]] of [[Al-Andalus]], much of it indirectly, through the Romance [[Andalusi Romance|Mozarabic dialects]] (some 4,000 [[Arabic]]-derived words, make up around 8% of the language today).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-SPANISH.html|title=Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=24 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925062202/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-SPANISH.html|archive-date=25 September 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> The written standard for this new language was developed in the cities of [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], in the 13th to 16th centuries, and [[Madrid]], from the 1570s.<ref name="Penny1p16" />

The development of the [[Spanish phonology|Spanish sound system]] from that of [[Vulgar Latin]] exhibits most of the changes that are typical of [[Western Romance languages]], including [[lenition]] of intervocalic consonants (thus Latin {{lang|la|vīta}} > Spanish {{lang|es|vida}}). The [[Vowel breaking|diphthongization]] of Latin stressed short {{Lang|la|e}} and {{Lang|la|o}}—which occurred in [[Syllable|open syllables]] in French and Italian, but not at all in Catalan or Portuguese—is found in both open and closed syllables in Spanish, as shown in the following table:
<div style="overflow: auto;">
<!-- The words in each cell are tagged with the first language whose column intersects the cell. -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Latin || Spanish || Ladino || Aragonese || Asturian || Galician || Portuguese || Catalan || Gascon / Occitan || French || Sardinian || Italian || Romanian || |English
|-
| {{smallcaps|petra}} || colspan="4" | {{lang|es|p'''ie'''dra}} || colspan="3" | {{lang|gl|pedra}} || {{lang|oc|pedra}}, {{lang|oc|pèira}} || {{lang|fr|p'''ie'''rre}} ||''pedra'', {{lang|sc|perda}}||{{lang|it|p'''ie'''tra}} || {{lang|ro|p'''ia'''tră}} || 'stone'
|-
| {{smallcaps|terra}} || colspan="4" | {{lang|es|t'''ie'''rra}} || colspan="3" | {{lang|gl|terra}} || {{lang|oc|tèrra}} || {{lang|fr|terre}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|sc|terra}} || {{lang|ro|țară}} || 'land'
|-
| {{smallcaps|moritur}} || colspan="3" | {{lang|es|m'''ue'''re}} || {{lang|ast|m'''ue'''rre}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|gl|morre}} || {{lang|ca|mor}} || {{lang|oc|morís}} || {{lang|fr|m'''eu'''rt}} || {{lang|sc|mòrit}} || {{lang|it|m'''uo'''re}} || {{lang|ro|m'''oa'''re}} || 'dies (v.)'
|-
| {{smallcaps|mortem}} || colspan="4" | {{lang|es|m'''ue'''rte}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|ast|morte}} || {{lang|ca|mort}} || {{lang|oc|mòrt}} || {{lang|fr|mort}} ||''morte, morti''||{{lang|it|morte}} || {{lang|ro|m'''oa'''rte}} || 'death'
|}</div>
[[File:Linguistic map Southwestern Europe.gif|thumb|Chronological map showing linguistic evolution in southwest Europe]]
Spanish is marked by [[Palatalization (sound change)|palatalization]] of the Latin double consonants ([[geminate]]s) {{lang|la|nn}} and {{lang|la|ll}} (thus Latin
{{lang|la|annum}} > Spanish {{lang|es|año}}, and Latin {{lang|la|anellum}} > Spanish
{{lang|es|anillo}}).

The consonant written {{lang|la|u}} or {{lang|la|v}} in Latin and pronounced {{IPA|[w]}} in Classical Latin had probably "[[Fortition|fortified]]" to a bilabial fricative {{IPA|/β/}} in Vulgar Latin. In early Spanish (but not in Catalan or Portuguese) it merged with the consonant written ''b'' (a bilabial with plosive and fricative allophones). In modern Spanish, there is [[betacism|no difference]] between the pronunciation of orthographic {{lang|es|b}} and {{lang|es|v}}.

Typical of Spanish (as also of neighboring [[Gascon language|Gascon]] extending as far north as the [[Gironde estuary]], and found in a small area of [[Calabria]]), attributed by some scholars to a Basque [[Substrata (linguistics)|substratum]] was the mutation of Latin initial {{lang|la|f}} into {{lang|es|h-}} whenever it was followed by a vowel that did not diphthongize. The {{lang|es|h-}}, still preserved in spelling, is now silent in most varieties of the language, although in some Andalusian and Caribbean dialects, it is still aspirated in some words. Because of borrowings from Latin and neighboring Romance languages, there are many {{lang|es|f}}-/{{lang|es|h}}- [[Doublet (linguistics)|doublet]]s in modern Spanish: {{lang|es|Fernando}} and {{lang|es|Hernando}} (both Spanish for "Ferdinand"), {{lang|es|ferrero}} and {{lang|es|herrero}} (both Spanish for "smith"), {{lang|es|fierro}} and {{lang|es|hierro}} (both Spanish for "iron"), and {{lang|es|fondo}} and {{lang|es|hondo}} (both words pertaining to depth in Spanish, though {{lang|es|fondo}} means "bottom", while {{lang|es|hondo}} means "deep"); additionally, {{lang|es|hacer}} ("to make") is [[cognate]] to the root word of {{lang|es|satisfacer}} ("to satisfy"), and {{lang|es|hecho}} ("made") is similarly cognate to the root word of {{lang|es|satisfecho}} ("satisfied").

Compare the examples in the following table:
<div style="overflow: auto;">
<!-- The words in each cell are tagged with the first language whose column intersects the cell. -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Latin || Spanish || Ladino || Aragonese || Asturian || Galician || Portuguese || Catalan || Gascon / Occitan || French || Sardinian || Italian || Romanian || English
|-
| {{smallcaps|filium}} || {{lang|es|'''h'''ijo}} || {{lang|lad|fijo}} (or {{lang|lad|hijo}}) || {{lang|an|fillo}} || {{lang|ast|fíu}} || {{lang|gl|fillo}} || {{lang|pt|filho}} || {{lang|ca|fill}} || {{lang|oc|filh}}, {{lang|oc|'''h'''ilh}} || {{lang|fr|fils}} ||''fizu, fìgiu, fillu''||{{lang|it|figlio}} || {{lang|ro|fiu}} || 'son'
|-
| {{smallcaps|facere}} || {{lang|es|'''h'''acer}} || {{lang|lad|fazer}} || {{lang|an|fer}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|ast|facer}} || {{lang|pt|fazer}} || {{lang|ca|fer}} || {{lang|oc|far}}, {{lang|oc|faire}}, {{lang|oc|'''h'''ar}} (or {{lang|oc|'''h'''èr}}) || {{lang|fr|faire}} ||''fàghere, fàere, {{lang|sc|fàiri}}''||{{lang|it|fare}} || {{lang|ro|a face}} || 'to do'
|-
| {{smallcaps|febrem}} || colspan="4" | {{lang|es|fiebre}} ''(calentura)''|| colspan="3" |{{lang|gl|febre}} || {{lang|oc|fèbre}}, {{lang|oc|frèbe}}, {{lang|oc|'''h'''rèbe}} (or<br />{{lang|oc|'''h'''erèbe}}) || {{lang|fr|fièvre}} ||{{lang|sc|calentura}}||{{lang|it|febbre}} || {{lang|ro|febră}} || 'fever'
|-
| {{smallcaps|focum}} || colspan="3" | {{lang|es|fuego}} || {{lang|ast|fueu}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|gl|fogo}} || {{lang|ca|foc}} || {{lang|oc|fuòc}}, {{lang|oc|fòc}}, {{lang|oc|'''h'''uèc}} || {{lang|fr|feu}} || {{lang|sc|fogu}} || {{lang|it|fuoco}} || {{lang|ro|foc}} || 'fire'
|}</div>
Some [[consonant cluster]]s of Latin also produced characteristically different results in these languages, as shown in the examples in the following table:
<div style="overflow: auto;">
<!-- The words in each cell are tagged with the first language whose column intersects the cell. -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Latin || Spanish || Ladino || Aragonese || Asturian || Galician || Portuguese || Catalan || Gascon / Occitan || French || Sardinian || Italian || Romanian || English
|-
| {{smallcaps|'''cl'''āvem}} || {{lang|es|'''ll'''ave}} || {{lang|lad|clave}} || {{lang|an|clau}} || {{lang|ast|'''ll'''ave}} || {{lang|gl|chave}} || {{lang|pt|chave}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|ca|clau}} || {{lang|fr|clé}} ||''giae, crae,'' {{lang|sc|crai}}||{{lang|it|chiave}} || {{lang|ro|cheie}} || 'key'
|-
| {{smallcaps|'''fl'''amma}} || {{lang|es|'''ll'''ama}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|lad|'''fl'''ama}} || {{lang|ast|chama}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|gl|chama}}, {{lang|gl|flama}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|ca|flama}} || {{lang|fr|flamme}} || {{lang|sc|framma}} || {{lang|it|fiamma}} || {{lang|ro|flamă}} || 'flame'
|-
| {{smallcaps|'''pl'''ēnum}} || {{lang|es|'''ll'''eno}} || {{lang|lad|pleno}} || {{lang|an|plen}} || {{lang|ast|'''ll'''enu}} || {{lang|gl|cheo}} || {{lang|pt|cheio}}, {{lang|pt|pleno}} || {{lang|ca|ple}} || {{lang|oc|plen}} || {{lang|fr|plein}} || {{lang|sc|prenu}} || {{lang|it|pieno}} || {{lang|ro|plin}} || 'plenty, full'
|-
| {{smallcaps|o'''ct'''ō}} || colspan="2" | {{lang|es|o'''ch'''o}} || {{lang|an|güeito}} || {{lang|ast|o'''ch'''o}}, {{lang|ast|oito}} || {{lang|gl|oito}} || {{lang|pt|oito}} ({{lang|pt|oi'''t'''o}}) || {{lang|ca|vuit}}, {{lang|ca|huit}} || {{lang|oc|uè'''ch'''}}, {{lang|oc|uò'''ch'''}}, {{lang|oc|uèit}} || {{lang|fr|huit}} || {{lang|sc|oto}}||{{lang|it|otto}} || {{lang|ro|opt}} || 'eight'
|-
| {{smallcaps|mu'''lt'''um}} || {{lang|es|mu'''ch'''o}}<br />{{lang|es|mu'''y'''}} || {{lang|lad|mu'''nch'''o}}<br />{{lang|lad|mu'''y'''}} || {{lang|an|muito}}<br />{{lang|an|mu'''i'''}} || {{lang|ast|mu'''nch'''u}}<br />{{lang|ast|mu'''i'''}} || {{lang|gl|moito}}<br />{{lang|gl|mo'''i'''}} ||''muito''  ||{{lang|ca|molt}} || {{lang|oc|molt}}&nbsp;(arch.) ||{{lang|fr|très}}, {{lang|fr|beaucoup}}, {{lang|fr|moult}}
|{{lang|sc|meda}}||{{lang|it|molto}} || {{lang|ro|mult}} || 'much,<br />very,<br />many'
|}</div>
[[File:Juan de Zúñiga dibujo con orla (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Antonio de Nebrija]], author of {{lang|es|[[Gramática de la lengua castellana]]}}, the first grammar of a modern European language<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/dec/13/classics.miguelcervantes |title=Harold Bloom on Don Quixote, the first modern novel &#124; Books &#124; The Guardian |publisher=Books.guardian.co.uk |date=12 December 2003 |access-date=18 July 2009 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614054652/http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,1105510,00.html |archive-date=14 June 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish underwent [[Phonological history of Spanish coronal fricatives|a dramatic change]] in the pronunciation of its [[sibilant consonants]], known in Spanish as the {{lang|es|reajuste de las sibilantes}}, which resulted in the distinctive [[Velar consonant|velar]] {{IPA|[x]}} pronunciation of the letter {{angle bracket|j}} and—in a large part of Spain—the characteristic [[Interdental consonant|interdental]] {{IPA|[θ]}} ("th-sound") for the letter {{angle bracket|z}} (and for {{angle bracket|c}} before {{angle bracket|e}} or {{angle bracket|i}}). See [[History of Spanish#Modern development of the Old Spanish sibilants|History of Spanish (Modern development of the Old Spanish sibilants)]] for details.

The {{lang|es|[[Gramática de la lengua castellana]]}}, written in [[Salamanca]] in 1492 by [[Antonio de Nebrija|Elio Antonio de Nebrija]], was the first grammar written for a modern European language.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Spanish_language.aspx#1O29-SPANISH |title=Spanish Language Facts |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=6 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522190202/http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Spanish_language.aspx#1O29-SPANISH |archive-date=22 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to a popular anecdote, when Nebrija presented it to [[Isabella I of Castile|Queen Isabella I]], she asked him what was the use of such a work, and he answered that language is the instrument of empire.<ref>{{cite book |last=Crow |first=John A. |title=Spain: the root and the flower |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2NKy8QCxw4C&q=Nebrija+first+spanish+grammar+Isabel&pg=PA151 |year=2005 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24496-2 |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-date=17 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817150949/https://books.google.com/books?id=g2NKy8QCxw4C&q=Nebrija+first+spanish+grammar+Isabel&pg=PA151 |url-status=live}}</ref> In his introduction to the grammar, dated 18 August 1492, Nebrija wrote that "... language was always the companion of empire."<ref>{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Hugh |title=Rivers of Gold: the rise of the Spanish empire, from Columbus to Magellan |page=78 |year=2005 |publisher=Random House Inc. |isbn=978-0-8129-7055-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b38f7b1WmOwC&q=Nebrija+first+spanish+grammar+Isabel&pg=PA78 |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816174720/https://books.google.com/books?id=b38f7b1WmOwC&q=Nebrija+first+spanish+grammar+Isabel&pg=PA78 |url-status=live}}</ref>

From the 16th century onwards, the language was taken to the Spanish-discovered [[Americas|America]] and the [[Spanish East Indies]] via [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonization of America]]. [[Miguel de Cervantes]], author of ''[[Don Quixote]]'', is such a well-known reference in the world that Spanish is often called {{lang|es|la lengua de Cervantes}} ("the language of Cervantes").<ref>{{cite web|title=La lengua de Cervantes |language=es |url=http://www.cepc.es/rap/Publicaciones/Revistas/2/REP_031-032_288.pdf |publisher=Ministerio de la Presidencia de España |access-date=24 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003083955/http://www.cepc.es/rap/Publicaciones/Revistas/2/REP_031-032_288.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2008}}</ref>

In the 20th century, Spanish was introduced to [[Equatorial Guinea]] and the [[Western Sahara]], and to areas of the United States that had not been part of the Spanish Empire, such as [[Spanish Harlem]] in [[New York City]]. For details on borrowed words and other external influences upon Spanish, see [[Influences on the Spanish language]].

== Geographical distribution ==
{{See also|Hispanophone}}
[[File:El español en el mundo 2023 (Anuario del Instituto Cervantes).svg|thumb|Geographical distribution of the Spanish language
{{legend|#ff0000ff|Official or co-official language}}
{{legend|#ffcd48ff|Important minority (more than 25%) or majority language, but not official}}
{{legend|#ffeeaaff|Notable minority language (less than 25% but more than 500,000 Spanish speakers)}}]]

Spanish is the primary language in 20 countries worldwide. As of 2025, it is estimated that about 519 million people speak Spanish as a [[First language|native language]], making it the second [[List of languages by number of native speakers|most spoken language by number of native speakers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anuario instituto Cervantes 2023 |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_23/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Centro Virtual Cervantes |language=es |archive-date=2023-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222190339/https://www.bergesinstitutespanish.com/spanish-native-speakers |url-status=live}} Estimate. Corrected as Equatorial Guinea is mistakenly included (no native speakers there)</ref> An additional 117 million speak Spanish as a second or [[Spanish as a foreign language|foreign language]], making it the fourth [[List of languages by total number of speakers|most spoken language in the world overall]] after English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi with a total number of 636 million speakers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/statistics/size|title=Summary by language size|website=Ethnologue|date=3 October 2018|access-date=14 November 2020|archive-date=26 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226040016/https://www.ethnologue.com/statistics/size|url-status=live}}</ref> Spanish is also the third [[Languages used on the Internet|most used language on the Internet]], after English and Chinese.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm |title=Internet World Users by Language |year=2008 |publisher=Miniwatts Marketing Group |access-date=20 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426122721/http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Europe ===
{{main|Peninsular Spanish}}
[[File:Knowledge of Spanish in European Union.svg|thumb|Percentage of people who self reportedly know enough Spanish to hold a conversation, in the EU, 2005
{{legend|#554400|Native country}}
{{legend|#AA8800|More than 8.99%}}
{{legend|#E5B700|Between 4% and 8.99%}}
{{legend|#FFDD55|Between 1% and 3.99%}}
{{legend|#FFEEAA|Less than 1%}}]]

Spanish is the official language of [[Spain]]. Upon the emergence of the [[Castilian Crown]] as the dominant power in the Iberian Peninsula by the end of the Middle Ages, the Romance vernacular associated with this polity became increasingly used in instances of prestige and influence, and the distinction between "Castilian" and "Spanish" started to become blurred.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Clara|last=Mar-Molinero|title=The Politics of Language in the Spanish-Speaking World|year=2000|isbn=0-203-44372-1|location=London|publisher=[[Routledge]]|pages=19–20}}</ref> Hard policies imposing the language's hegemony in an intensely centralising Spanish state were established from the 18th century onward.{{Sfn|Mar-Molinero|2000|p=21}}

Other European territories in which it is also widely spoken include [[Gibraltar]] and [[Andorra]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3164.htm |title=Background Note: Andorra |publisher=U.S. Department of State: Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs |date=January 2007 |access-date=20 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122194318/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3164.htm |archive-date=22 January 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Spanish is also spoken by immigrant communities in other European countries, such as the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Italy]], and [[Germany]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/spanish.shtml |title=BBC Education — Languages Across Europe — Spanish |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=20 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929052158/http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/spanish.shtml |archive-date=29 September 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Spanish is an official language of the [[European Union]].

=== Americas ===
==== Hispanic America ====
{{main|Spanish language in the Americas}}
Today, the majority of the Spanish speakers live in [[Hispanic America]]. Nationally, Spanish is the official language—either ''[[de facto]]'' or ''[[de jure]]''—of [[Argentina]], [[Bolivia]] (co-official with 36 indigenous languages), [[Chile]], [[Colombia]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Cuba]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[El Salvador]], [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], [[Mexico]] (co-official with 63 indigenous languages), [[Nicaragua]], [[Panama]], [[Paraguay]] (co-official with [[Guarani language|Guaraní]]),<ref>[http://www.constitution.org/cons/paraguay.htm Constitución de la República del Paraguay] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908185557/http://www.constitution.org/cons/paraguay.htm |date=8 September 2014}}, Article 140</ref> [[Peru]] (co-official with [[Quechua language|Quechua]], [[Aymara language|Aymara]], and "the other indigenous languages"),<ref>[http://www.constitucionpoliticadelperu.com/ Constitución Política del Perú] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517192115/http://constitucionpoliticadelperu.com/ |date=17 May 2014}}, Article 48</ref> [[Puerto Rico]] (co-official with [[English language|English]]),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1D8163AF93AA15752C0A965958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fE%2fEnglish%20Language |title=Puerto Rico Elevates English |date=29 January 1993 |work=the New York Times |access-date=6 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122011853/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1D8163AF93AA15752C0A965958260&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FE%2FEnglish%20Language |archive-date=22 January 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Uruguay]], and [[Venezuela]].

====United States====
{{Main|Spanish language in the United States}}
{{See also|Spanish language in California|New Mexican Spanish|Isleño Spanish}}
[[File:Spanish spoken at home in the United States 2019.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|right|Percentage of the U.S. population aged 5 and over who speaks Spanish at home in 2019, by states]]
Spanish language has a long history in the territory of the current-day United States dating back to the 16th century.{{Sfn|Lamboy|Salgado-Robles|2020|p=1}} In the wake of the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo|1848 Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty]], hundreds of thousands of Spanish speakers became a minoritized community in the United States.{{Sfn|Lamboy|Salgado-Robles|2020|p=1}} The 20th century saw further massive growth of Spanish speakers in areas where they had been hitherto scarce.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Spanish across Domains in the United States. Education, Public Space, and Social Media|editor-first=Francisco|editor-last=Salgado-Robles|editor-first2=Edwin M.|editor-last2=Lamboy|publisher=[[Brill (publisher)|Brill]]|isbn=978-90-04-43322-9|year=2020|location=Leiden|page=1|first1=Edwin M.|last1=Lamboy|first2=Francisco|last2=Salgado-Robles|chapter=Introduction: Spanish in the United States and across Domains}}</ref>

According to the 2020 census, over 60 million people of the U.S. population were of [[Hispanic]] or [[Hispanic America]]n by origin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html|title=Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census|date=12 August 2021|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=23 January 2021|archive-date=15 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In turn, 41.8 million people in the United States aged five or older speak Spanish at home, or about 13% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Language%20Spoken%20at%20Home&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1601|title=American Community Survey Explore Census Data|access-date=24 January 2022|archive-date=17 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017182821/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Language%20Spoken%20at%20Home&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1601|url-status=live}}</ref> Spanish predominates in the unincorporated territory of [[Puerto Rico]], where it is also an official language along with English.

Spanish is by far the most common second language in the country, with over 50 million total speakers if non-native or second-language speakers are included.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/speak/spanish/Espana/elpepucul/20081006elpepicul_1/Tes|title=Más 'speak spanish' que en España|access-date=6 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520111353/http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/speak/spanish/Espana/elpepucul/20081006elpepicul_1/Tes|archive-date=20 May 2011|url-status=live}} (in Spanish)</ref> While English is the de facto national language of the country, Spanish is often used in public services and notices at the federal and state levels. Spanish is also used in administration in the state of [[New Mexico]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crawford |first1=John |title=Language loyalties: a source book on the official English controversy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wLoJ31HXl40C&pg=PA62 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |year=1992 |page=62 |isbn=9780226120164 |access-date=14 November 2023 |archive-date=30 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130015012/https://books.google.com/books?id=wLoJ31HXl40C&pg=PA62 |url-status=live}}</ref> The language has a strong influence in major metropolitan areas such as those of [[Greater Los Angeles area|Los Angeles]], [[San Diego–Tijuana|San Diego]], [[Miami metropolitan area|Miami]], [[San Antonio metropolitan area|San Antonio]], [[New York metropolitan area|New York]], [[San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco]], [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Dallas]], [[Greater Tucson|Tucson]] and [[Phoenix metropolitan area|Phoenix]] of the [[Arizona Sun Corridor]], as well as more recently, [[Chicago metropolitan area|Chicago]], [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], [[Greater Boston|Boston]], [[Greater Denver|Denver]], [[Greater Houston|Houston]], [[Greater Indianapolis|Indianapolis]], [[Oklahoma City metropolitan area|Oklahoma City]], [[Greater Philadelphia|Philadelphia]], [[Greater Cleveland|Cleveland]], [[Greater Salt Lake City|Salt Lake City]], [[Greater Atlanta|Atlanta]], [[Greater Nashville|Nashville]], [[Greater Orlando|Orlando]], [[Greater Tampa|Tampa]], [[Greater Raleigh|Raleigh]] and [[Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area|Baltimore-Washington, D.C.]] due to 20th- and 21st-century immigration.

====Rest of the Americas====
Although Spanish has no official recognition in the former [[British overseas territories|British colony]] of [[Belize]] (known until 1973 as [[British Honduras]]) where English is the sole official language, according to the 2022 census, 54% of the total population are able to speak the language.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://sib.org.bz/wp-content/uploads/Languages_Infographic_2022.pdf|title=Languages spoken in Belize, 2022 Census|date=2022 |language=en |access-date=11 September 2024}}</ref>

Due to its proximity to Spanish-speaking countries and small existing [[Trinidadian Spanish|native Spanish speaking]] minority, [[Trinidad and Tobago]] has implemented Spanish language teaching into its education system. The Trinidadian and Tobagonian government launched the ''Spanish as a First Foreign Language'' (SAFFL) initiative in March 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tradeind.gov.tt/SIS/FAQ.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103080637/http://www.tradeind.gov.tt/SIS/FAQ.htm |archive-date=3 November 2010 |title=FAQ |work=The Secretariat for The Implementation of Spanish |publisher=Government of the Republic |location=Trinidad and Tobago |access-date=10 January 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Spanish has historically had a significant presence on the [[Dutch Caribbean]] islands of [[Aruba]], [[Bonaire]] and [[Curaçao]] ([[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC Islands]]) throughout the centuries and in present times. The majority of the populations of each island (especially Aruba) speak Spanish at varying although often high degrees of fluency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300471435|title=Language and education in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao}}</ref> The local language [[Papiamento|Papiamentu]] (or Papiamento in Aruba) is heavily influenced by Venezuelan Spanish.

In addition to sharing most of its borders with Spanish-speaking countries, the creation of [[Mercosur]] in the early 1990s induced a favorable situation for the promotion of Spanish language teaching in [[Brazil]].{{Sfn|Valle|Villa|2006|p=376}}<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.es/&httpsredir=1&article=1082&context=gc_pubs|title=Spanish in Brazil: Language Policy, Business, and Cultural Propaganda|first1=José del|last1=Valle |first2=Laura|last2=Villa |journal=Language Policy |year=2006|volume=5|issue=4 |doi=10.1007/s10993-006-9035-2|pages=376–377 |s2cid=144373408|access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=24 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124020917/https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.es%2F&httpsredir=1&article=1082&context=gc_pubs|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 2005, the [[National Congress of Brazil]] approved a bill, signed into law by the [[President of Brazil|President]], making it mandatory for [[school]]s to offer Spanish as an alternative foreign language course in both public and private secondary schools in Brazil.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2004-2006/2005/Lei/L11161.htm |title = Brazilian Law 11.161 |publisher = Presidência da República |date = 5 August 2005 |access-date = 31 March 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131031191701/http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2004-2006/2005/Lei/L11161.htm |archive-date = 31 October 2013 |url-status = live}}</ref> In September 2016 this law was revoked by [[Michel Temer]] after the [[impeachment of Dilma Rousseff]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/educacao/novo-ensino-medio-tera-curriculo-flexivel-mais-horas-de-aula-20164798 |title=Novo ensino médio terá currículo flexível e mais horas de aula |newspaper=O Globo |date=23 September 2016 |access-date=23 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923213525/http://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/educacao/novo-ensino-medio-tera-curriculo-flexivel-mais-horas-de-aula-20164798 |archive-date=23 September 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> In many border towns and villages along Paraguay and Uruguay, a [[mixed language]] known as [[Riverense Portuñol|Portuñol]] is spoken.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lipski |first=John M |year=2006 |title=Too close for comfort? the genesis of "portuñol/portunhol" |editor1-first=Timothy L |editor1-last=Face |editor2-first=Carol A |editor2-last=Klee |pages=1–22 |journal=Selected Proceedings of the 8th Hispanic Linguistics Symposium |location=Somerville, MA |publisher=Cascadilla Proceedings Project |url= http://www.lingref.com/cpp/hls/8/paper1251.pdf |access-date=29 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216225441/http://www.lingref.com/cpp/hls/8/paper1251.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Africa ===
==== Sub-Saharan Africa ====
{{See also|Equatoguinean Spanish}}
[[File:Malabo 08207.JPG|thumb|right|Spanish language signage in [[Malabo]], capital city of [[Equatorial Guinea]]]]
[[Equatorial Guinea]] is the only Spanish-speaking country located entirely in Africa, with the language introduced during the [[Spanish Guinea|Spanish colonial period]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lipski |first=John M. |author-link=John M. Lipski |year=2014 |title=¿Existe un dialecto "ecuatoguineano" del español? |url=https://revista-iberoamericana.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Iberoamericana/article/viewFile/7202/7335 |url-status=live |journal=Revista Iberoamericana |volume=80 |issue=248–249 |pages=865–882 |doi=10.5195/REVIBEROAMER.2014.7202 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124020919/https://revista-iberoamericana.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Iberoamericana/article/viewFile/7202/7335 |archive-date=24 January 2022 |access-date=19 January 2022 |quote="Se trata de Guinea Ecuatorial, único país del África subsahariana de habla española," |doi-access=free}}</ref> Enshrined in the constitution as an official language (alongside French and Portuguese), Spanish features prominently in the Equatoguinean education system and is the primary language used in government and business.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The decline of the indigenous languages of Equatorial Guinea: a manifestation of the loss of cultural identity|first1=Pedro Bayeme|last1=Bituga-Nchama|first2=Cruz Otu |last2=Nvé-Ndumu |year=2021 |journal=Revista Cátedra|volume=4|issue=3|pages=41 |url=https://revistadigital.uce.edu.ec/index.php/CATEDRA/article/view/3147/3969 |access-date=19 January 2022 |archive-date=24 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124020917/https://revistadigital.uce.edu.ec/index.php/CATEDRA/article/view/3147/3969|url-status=live}}</ref> Spanish is spoken as a native language by a small minority in Equatorial Guinea, primarily in larger cities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Facts |first=Victor Kiprop in World |date=2018-09-24 |title=What Languages Are Spoken In Equatorial Guinea? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-equatorial-guinea.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gomashie |first=Grace A. |title=Language Vitality of Spanish in Equatorial Guinea: Language Use and Attitudes |url=https://www.cervantes.es/imagenes/file/biblioteca/situacion_espanol/guinea_ecuatorial_humanities.pdf |journal=Humanities |year=2019 |volume=8 |issue=1 |page=33 |doi=10.3390/h8010033 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[Instituto Cervantes]] estimates that 87.7% of the population is fluent in Spanish.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_08.pdf| title = Gloria Nistal Rosique: El caso del español en Guinea ecuatorial, Instituto Cervantes.| access-date = 7 February 2010| archive-date = 26 October 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121026105600/http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_08.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The proportion of proficient Spanish speakers in Equatorial Guinea exceeds the proportion of proficient speakers in other West and Central African nations of their respective colonial languages.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies|volume=8|year=2004 |title=The Spanish language of Equatorial Guinea|first=John M.|last=Lipski|author-link=John M. Lipski|page=117 |doi=10.1353/hcs.2011.0376|s2cid=144501371|url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/2574235.pdf|access-date=19 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121212630/https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/2574235.pdf |archive-date=21 January 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

Spanish is spoken by very small communities in [[Angola]] due to Cuban influence from the [[Cold War]] and in [[South Sudan]] among South Sudanese natives that relocated to Cuba during the Sudanese wars and returned for their country's independence.<ref>{{Cite news |publisher=Radio France International |language=es |url=http://www.espanol.rfi.fr/africa/20110706-los-cubanos-la-elite-del-sudan-del-sur |title=Los cubanos, la élite de Sudán del Sur |access-date=20 December 2011 |date=6 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090846/http://www.espanol.rfi.fr/africa/20110706-los-cubanos-la-elite-del-sudan-del-sur |archive-date=12 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== North Africa and Macaronesia ====
{{See also|Canarian Spanish|Saharan Spanish}}

Spanish is also spoken in the integral territories of Spain in Africa, namely the cities of [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]] and the [[Canary Islands]], located in the Atlantic Ocean some {{convert|100|km|abbr=on}} off the northwest of the African mainland. The [[Canarian Spanish|Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands]] traces its origins back to the [[Conquest of the Canary Islands|Castilian conquest in the 15th century]], and, in addition to a resemblance to Western Andalusian speech patterns, it also features strong influence from the Spanish varieties spoken in the Americas,<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://revistes.urv.cat/index.php/utf/article/view/2332/2255|pages=175–176|first=Javier|last=Medina López|journal=Universitas Tarraconensis. Revista de Filologia|issue=14|year=1992–1993|publisher=Publicacions Universitat Rovira i Virgili|issn=2604-3432|title=Estandarización lingüística en las hablas canarias|access-date=19 January 2022|archive-date=24 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124020917/https://revistes.urv.cat/index.php/utf/article/view/2332/2255|url-status=live}}</ref> which in turn have also been influenced historically by Canarian Spanish.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lipski |first=John |author-link=John M. Lipski|date=1994 |title=Latin American Spanish |edition=1st |publisher=Longman|quote=An indisputable influence in the formation of Latin American Spanish, often overshadowed by discussion of the 'Andalusian' contribution, is the Canary Islands.|quote-page=55}}</ref> The Spanish spoken in North Africa by native bilingual speakers of Arabic or Berber who also speak Spanish as a second language features characteristics involving the variability of the vowel system.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=[[Annual Review of Linguistics]]|first1=Manuel|last1=Díaz-Campos|first2=Juan M.|last2=Escalona Torres|first3=Valentyna|last3=Filimonova|url=https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011619-030547|page=369|doi=10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011619-030547|title=Sociolinguistics of the Spanish-Speaking World|year=2020|volume=6|s2cid=210443649 |issn=2333-9683|access-date=9 December 2023|archive-date=9 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209021219/https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011619-030547|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

While far from its heyday during the [[Spanish protectorate in Morocco]], the Spanish language has some presence in northern [[Morocco]], stemming for example from the availability of certain Spanish-language media.{{Sfn|Vicente|2011|p=67}} According to a 2012 survey by Morocco's Royal Institute for Strategic Studies (IRES), penetration of Spanish in Morocco reaches 4.6% of the population.<ref>{{Cite book|publisher=[[Ministry of Economy (Spain)|Ministerio de Economía y Empresa]]|url=https://catalogo.ceu.es/pdocs/710471_10353835.pdf|title=The economic and commercial influence of Spanish-based languages|location=Madrid|year=2018|chapter=The endurance of Spanish in the Maghreb|pages=32–46|first=David|last=Fernández Vítores|access-date=9 December 2023|archive-date=13 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113155342/https://catalogo.ceu.es/pdocs/710471_10353835.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Many northern Moroccans have rudimentary knowledge of Spanish,{{Sfn|Vicente|2011|p=67}} with Spanish being particularly significant in areas adjacent to Ceuta and Melilla.{{Sfn|Fernández Vítores|2018|pp=32–46}} Spanish also has a presence in the education system of the country (through either selected education centers implementing Spain's education system, primarily located in the North, or the availability of Spanish as foreign language subject in secondary education).{{Sfn|Vicente|2011|p=67}}

In [[Western Sahara]], formerly [[Spanish Sahara]], a primarily [[Hassaniya Arabic]]-speaking territory, Spanish was officially spoken as the language of the colonial administration during the late 19th and 20th centuries. Today, Spanish is present in the partially-recognized [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic]] as its secondary official language,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.spsrasd.info/ar/articles/2018/11/29/18612.html |title=الوفد الصحراوي سيحضر لقاء جنيف بإرادة صادقة للتقدم نحو الحل الذي يضمن حق الشعب الصحراوي في تقرير المصير والاستقلال |trans-title=The Sahrawi delegation will attend the Geneva meeting with a sincere will to move towards a solution that guarantees the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence |date=29 November 2018 |website=[[Sahara Press Service]] |access-date=18 December 2023 |language=ar |archive-date=25 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125125903/https://archive.spsrasd.info/ar/articles/2018/11/29/18612.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and in the [[Sahrawi refugee camps|Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf]] ([[Algeria]]), where the Spanish language is still taught as a second language, largely by Cuban educators.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.elindependiente.com/espana/2021/10/20/espana-se-desentiende-de-la-preservacion-del-castellano-en-los-campamentos-saharauis/ |website=El Independiente|date=20 October 2021 |first=Francisco |last=Carrión|title=España se desentiende de la preservación del castellano en los campamentos saharauis |access-date=19 January 2022|archive-date=24 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124020916/https://www.elindependiente.com/espana/2021/10/20/espana-se-desentiende-de-la-preservacion-del-castellano-en-los-campamentos-saharauis/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Martos |first1=Isabel |title=Linguistic Policy in the Camps of Sahrawi Refugees |via=researchgate.net |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273993698 |publisher=Universidad de Alcalá |access-date=19 August 2018 |archive-date=22 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522172107/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273993698_Linguistic_Policy_in_the_Camps_of_Sahrawi_Refugees_2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_3.pdf |title=El Español en los Campamentos de Refugiados Saharauis (Tinduf, Algeria) |publisher=Cvc.cervantes.es |access-date=20 May 2015 |archive-date=26 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226150735/http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_3.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Spanish is also an official language of the [[African Union]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=AU languages |url=https://au.int/en/about/languages |access-date=June 6, 2024 |website=African Union |archive-date=7 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407001442/https://au.int/en/about/languages |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Asia ===
{{See also|Chavacano|Philippine Spanish|Spanish language in the Philippines}}
[[Image:La-solidaridad2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|An 1892 issue of '' [[La Solidaridad]]'', a Spanish-language newspaper on the [[Captaincy General of the Philippines|colonial Philippines]] published in [[Barcelona]] by Filipino exiles and international students]]

Spanish was an official language of the [[Philippines]] from the beginning of Spanish administration in 1565 to a constitutional change in 1973. During [[History of the Philippines (1521–1898)|Spanish colonization]], it was the language of government, trade, and education, and was spoken as a first language by Spaniards and educated Filipinos (''[[Ilustrados]]''). Despite a public education system set up by the colonial government, by the end of Spanish rule in 1898, only about 10% of the population had knowledge of Spanish, mostly those of Spanish descent or elite standing.<ref>{{cite news|language=es |title=Por qué Filipinas no es un país hispanoparlante si fue una colonia de España durante 300 años (y qué huellas quedan de la lengua de Cervantes)|newspaper=BBC News Mundo|date=30 January 2021 |url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-54724887 |access-date=31 January 2021|archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130181828/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-54724887|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Idioma chabacano.png|thumb|Map of the [[Chavacano]] language in various [[provinces of the Philippines]], as well as [[Sabah]] in [[Malaysia]] (where it is spoken by immigrants)]]
Spanish continued to be official and used in Philippine literature and press during the early years of [[Insular Government of the Philippine Islands|American administration]] after the [[Spanish–American War]] but was eventually replaced by English as the primary language of administration and education by the 1920s.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ambeth |last=Ocampo |author-link=Ambeth Ocampo |title=The loss of Spanish |url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20071204-104897/The_loss_of_Spanish |date=4 December 2007 |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer (INQUIRER.net) |location=Makati City, Philippines |at=Opinion |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311211640/http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20071204-104897/The_loss_of_Spanish |archive-date=11 March 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=26 July 2010}}</ref> Nevertheless, despite a significant decrease in influence and speakers, Spanish remained an official language of the Philippines upon independence in 1946, alongside English and [[Filipino language|Filipino]], a standardized version of [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]].

Spanish was briefly removed from official status in 1973 but reimplemented under the administration of [[Ferdinand Marcos]] two months later.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chanrobles.com/presidentialdecrees/presidentialdecreeno155.html |title=Presidential Decree No. 155: Philippine Laws, Statutes and Codes |publisher=Chanrobles.com |access-date=24 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003012548/http://www.chanrobles.com/presidentialdecrees/presidentialdecreeno155.html |archive-date=3 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> It remained an official language until the ratification of the present constitution in 1987, in which it was re-designated as a voluntary and optional auxiliary language.<ref>Article XIV, Sec 7: "For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English. The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein. <u>Spanish</u> and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis."</ref> Additionally, the constitution, in its Article XIV, stipulates that [[Government of the Philippines|the government]] shall provide the people of the Philippines with a Spanish-language translation of the country's constitution.<ref>Article XIV, Sec 8: "This Constitution shall be promulgated in Filipino and English and shall be translated into major regional languages, Arabic, and <u>Spanish</u>."</ref> In recent years changing attitudes among non-Spanish speaking Filipinos have helped spur a revival of the language,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rodríguez-Ponga |first1=Rafael |title=New Prospects for the Spanish Language in the Philippines |url=http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/web/rielcano_en/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/elcano/elcano_in/zonas_in/spanish+language+culture/ari27-2009#.VPUs_lPF9l8 |access-date=1 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402171759/http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/web/rielcano_en/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=%2Felcano%2Felcano_in%2Fzonas_in%2Fspanish+language+culture%2Fari27-2009#.VPUs_lPF9l8 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/264032/news/nation/pnoy-and-spains-queen-sofia-welcome-return-of-spanish-language-in-phl-schools |title=PNoy (President Benigno Aquino III) and Spain's Queen Sofia welcome return of Spanish language in Philippine schools |first=Amita O. |last=Legaspi |date=3 July 2012 |publisher=GMA News |access-date=8 August 2013 |url-status=live |archive-date=7 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707011008/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/264032/news/nation/pnoy-and-spains-queen-sofia-welcome-return-of-spanish-language-in-phl-schools}}</ref> and starting in 2009 Spanish was reintroduced as part of the basic education curriculum in a number of public high schools, becoming the largest foreign language program offered by the public school system,<ref>{{Cite news | title=Spanish Language Program in Philippine Public Secondary Schools | url=https://www.seameo-innotech.org/portfolio_page/spanish-language-program-in-philippine-public-secondary-schools/ | publisher=[[Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization|SEAMEO Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology]] | access-date=May 8, 2023 | archive-date=22 January 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122225404/https://www.seameo-innotech.org/portfolio_page/spanish-language-program-in-philippine-public-secondary-schools/ | url-status=live}}</ref> with over 7,000 students studying the language in the 2021–2022 school year alone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Studying – In the Philippines |url=https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/filipinas/en_PH/estudiar/en-filipinas |publisher=[[Ministry of Education (Spain)|Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of Spain]] |access-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408125717/https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/filipinas/en_PH/estudiar/en-filipinas}}</ref> The [[business process outsourcing in the Philippines|local business process outsourcing industry]] has also helped boost the language's economic prospects.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weedon |first=Alan |title=The Philippines is fronting up to its Spanish heritage, and for some it's paying off |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-10/inside-the-push-to-bring-back-spanish-into-the-philippines/11356590 |publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News and Current Affairs]] |date=August 10, 2019 |access-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-date=12 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212035502/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-10/inside-the-push-to-bring-back-spanish-into-the-philippines/11356590 |url-status=live}}</ref> Today, while the actual number of proficient Spanish speakers is around 400,000, or under 0.5% of the population,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/10/06/opinion/columnists/spanish-is-an-endangered-filipino-language/776874|title=Spanish is an endangered Filipino language|first=Jorge|last=Mojarro |date=6 October 2020 |publisher=The Manila Times |access-date=18 January 2022|archive-date=18 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118101358/https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/10/06/opinion/columnists/spanish-is-an-endangered-filipino-language/776874|url-status=live}}</ref> a new generation of Spanish speakers in the Philippines has likewise emerged, though speaker estimates vary widely.<ref>{{cite thesis |type=Master |last=Andrés Barrenechea |first=Clarissa |title=La enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera en Filipinas. Estudio de caso de la Universidad Ateneo de Manila |trans-title=The Teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language in the Philippines: Case Study of the Ateneo de Manila University |language=es |url=https://revista.carayanpress.com/resources/RF-CBarrenechea.pdf |publisher=[[Autonomous University of Zacatecas]] |date=June 2013 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410005950/https://revista.carayanpress.com/resources/RF-CBarrenechea.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Aside from standard Spanish, a Spanish-based creole language called [[Chavacano]] developed in the southern Philippines. However, it is not mutually intelligible with Spanish.<ref>Spanish creole:{{cite book |author=Rafael Rodríguez-Ponga |title=Pero ¿cuántos hablan español en Filipinas? |date=January 2003 |pages=54, 55 |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01350553135573500088680/209438_0013.pdf |publisher=Cervantes virtual |access-date=1 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806190230/http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01350553135573500088680/209438_0013.pdf |archive-date=6 August 2009 |url-status=live}} <!-- original reference title does not agree with URL, I did my best, here it is as it was: {{Citation |first=Antonio |last=Quilis |title=La lengua española en Filipinas |year=1996 |page=54 and 55 |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01350553135573500088680/209438_0013.pdf |publisher=Cervantes virtual |access-date=1 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806190230/http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01350553135573500088680/209438_0013.pdf |archive-date=6 August 2009 |url-status=live}} --></ref> The number of Chavacano-speakers was estimated at 1.2 million in 1996.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Rubino|2008|p=279}}</ref> The local [[languages of the Philippines]] also retain significant Spanish influence, with many words derived from [[Mexican Spanish]], owing to the administration of the islands by Spain through [[New Spain]] until 1821, until direct governance from Madrid afterwards to 1898.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/8-philippineconstitutions/68-1973-constitution.html|title=1973 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines|publisher=The corpus juris |access-date=6 April 2008|at=Article XV, Section 3(3)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417201402/http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/laws/constitutions/8-philippineconstitutions/68-1973-constitution.html|archive-date=17 April 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Spanish Influence on Language, Culture, and Philippine History |url=http://filipinokastila.tripod.com/FilSpa.html |access-date=15 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305163610/http://filipinokastila.tripod.com/FilSpa.html |archive-date=5 March 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Oceania===
[[File:Parque Nacional Rapa Nui.jpg|thumb|Announcement in Spanish on [[Easter Island]], welcoming visitors to [[Rapa Nui National Park]]]]
Spanish is the official and most spoken language on [[Easter Island]], which is geographically part of [[Polynesia]] in Oceania and politically part of [[Chile]]. However, Easter Island's traditional language is [[Rapa Nui language|Rapa Nui]], an [[Polynesian languages|Eastern Polynesian language]].

As a legacy of comprising the former [[Spanish East Indies]], Spanish loan words are present in the local languages of [[Guam]], [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[Palau]], [[Marshall Islands]] and [[Federated States of Micronesia|Micronesia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.als.asn.au/proceedings/als2005/engelberg-german.pdf |title=The Influence of German on the Lexicon of Palauan and Kosraean (Dissertation) |last=Engelberg |first=Stefan |access-date=23 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221131940/http://www.als.asn.au/proceedings/als2005/engelberg-german.pdf |archive-date=21 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Spanish language in Philippines|url=http://www.spanish-in-the-world.net/Spanish/philippines.php|access-date=1 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318055051/http://www.spanish-in-the-world.net/Spanish/philippines.php|archive-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>

In addition, in Australia and New Zealand, there are native Spanish communities, resulting from emigration from Spanish-speaking countries (mainly from the [[Southern Cone]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_34.pdf |title=cvc.cervantes (Spanish in Australia and New Zealand) |access-date=25 May 2022 |archive-date=16 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616051405/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_34.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Spanish speakers by country ===
20 countries and one United States territory speak Spanish officially, and the language has a significant unofficial presence in the rest of the United States along with Andorra, Belize and the territory of Gibraltar.
{| class="wikitable sortable"<!-- If you can make the "sort" function work according to numerical values, then change "wikitable" above back to "wikitable sortable". See Talk/"Spanish speakers by country" table sort doesn't work properly -->
|+Worldwide Spanish fluency (<span style="background:#efefef;">grey</span> and * signifies official language)
|- 
! style="background:#efff;" |Country
! style="background:#efff;"data-sort-type="number" |Population<ref>{{cite web| url=http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Excel-Data/population.htm| title=UN 2011 to 2100 estimate| format=MS Excel PDF| work=UN Population data| access-date=7 February 2018| archive-date=10 May 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510051033/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Excel-Data/population.htm| url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#efff;""width:23%;" data-sort-type="number" |Speakers of Spanish as a native language <ref name="viva18">{{cite report |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_25/el_espanol_en_el_mundo_anuario_instituto_cervantes_2025.pdf |title=El español: una lengua viva – Informe 2025 |last=Fernández Vítores |first=David |date=2025 |publisher=[[Instituto Cervantes]]}} 519.1 million people have a native command of Spanish. 92.1 million people have limited Spanish proficiency. 25.6 million people are learning the Spanish language. 635.7 million people are potential users of Spanish worldwide, 7.5% (page 67).</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/|title=Countries - The World Factbook|website=www.cia.gov}}</ref><ref>Ethnologue, 18th Ed.: [[:es:Anexo:Hablantes de español según Ethnologue (edición 18)]].</ref>
! style="background:#efff;""width:22%;" data-sort-type="number" | Native speakers and proficient speakers as a second language <ref name="viva18"/><ref name="Eurob2023b">{{cite web| url = https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979 | title = Europeans and their Languages  | year = 2023 |publisher= European Union (eurobarometer) | pages= 11, 58}} Reports and documents - Data annex - Europeans and their languages - page 58. The source offers percentages of people over 12 years old in each EU country, who speak Spanish at a very good level (page 58). Of the total EU population over 12 years old, 9% are native Spanish speakers, another 3% have a very good level of Spanish, and a total of 17% can hold a conversation in Spanish (page 54). Therefore, native and very good Spanish speakers account for 12% (9%+3%).</ref>
! style="background:#efff;" "width:22%;" data-sort-type="number" |Total number of Spanish speakers <small>(including limited competence speakers)</small><ref name="viva18"/><ref name="Eurob2023">{{cite web | url = https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979 | title = Eurobarometer: Report: Europeans and their languages |publisher=European Union | year = 2023 | pages = 11, 21| language = en}} Native and non native people who speak Spanish well enough in order to be able to have a conversation.</ref><ref name="DemografíaLengEsp">{{Cite web | url = http://eprints.ucm.es/8936/1/DT03-06.pdf | title = Demografía de la lengua española | page = 10 |  language = es | access-date = 23 February 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100923081035/http://eprints.ucm.es/8936/1/DT03-06.pdf | archive-date = 23 September 2010 | url-status = live}}, to countries with official Spanish status.</ref>
|- 
| [[Mexico]]*
| {{formatnum:133367428}}<ref>{{Cite web | title=2025 population estimate| publisher=CONAPO estimate| url=https://conapo.segob.gob.mx/work/models/CONAPO/pry23/PP/index.html |language=es}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:125098647}} (93.8%)<ref name="CIAMexico">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mexico/#people-and-society |publisher=CIA |title=Mexico |work=The World Factbook |access-date=1 May 2011 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126164719/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mexico |url-status=live}}: Spanish only 92.7%</ref>
|{{formatnum:125632117}} (94.2%)<ref name="viva18"/>
|{{formatnum:132300489}} (99.2%)<ref name="CIAMexico" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[United States]]
| {{formatnum:340110990}}<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/population-trends-return-to-pre-pandemic-norms.html | publisher = Census Bureau | title = U.S. Population Trends Return to Pre-Pandemic Norms as More States Gain Population | date = December 19, 2023  | archive-date = 2025-09-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250909181704/https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/population-trends-return-to-pre-pandemic-norms.html | url-status = live}}</ref>
|{{formatnum:44867699}} <small>(13.9% of 321,745,943)</small> <ref>Spanish speakers older than 5 years old ({{Cite web | url = https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2024.S1601?q=LANGUAGE+SPOKEN+AT+HOME++&t=Language+Spoken+at+Home | year = 2024 | title = Language Spoken at Home| publisher = United States Census Bureau. }})</ref>
|{{formatnum:49671936}} <small>(15.4% of 321,745,943)</small>{{efn|75% of U.S. Hispanics speak Spanish very well or pretty well (according to a 2022 survey).<ref name="Taylor 2022">{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Paul |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2023/09/20/latinos-views-of-and-experiences-with-the-spanish-language/ |title=Latinos' Views of and Experiences With the Spanish Language |date=2022 |publisher=pewhispanic.org}}</ref> There were 68,013,553 Hispanics in the U.S.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP1Y2024.DP05?q=race |title=Census Bureau (01/July/2024) |publisher=Census.gov}}</ref> of which 62,879,127 are over 5 years old,<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2024.B01001I?q=B01001I:+Sex+by+Age+(Hispanic+or+Latino) |title=Census Bureau (01/July/2024) |publisher=Census.gov}}</ref> as of 2024. 75% of this figure is 47,159,345. There were also another 2,512,591 non-Hispanic Spanish speakers at home older than 5 years old (5.6% of 44,867,699) as of 2024.<ref name="lenguaviva.org2">[https://lenguaviva.org/espa%C3%B1ol%3A-una-lengua-viva-1 lenguaviva.org] (page 9)</ref> In 2011, a similar survey tells that 82% of U.S. Hispanics speak Spanish very well or pretty well, and there were another 2.8 million non Hispanics who speak Spanish at home.<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2012/04/04/iv-language-use-among-latinos/ pewresearch.org] (Language Use among Latinos)</ref>}} 
|{{formatnum:64867699}} {{efn|44,867,699 as a first language + 20,000,000 (Hispanics with limited proficiency, and part of the 8.9 million Spanish students that they are non-Hispanic). Some of the 11 million undocumented Hispanic immigrants not reflected in the census are not included.<ref name="viva18" />}}{{efn|90% of U.S. Hispanics know how to speak at least a little Spanish (according to a 2022 survey).<ref name="Taylor 2022"/> There were 68,013,553 Hispanics in the U.S.<ref name="auto1"/> of which 62,879,127 are over 5 years old,<ref name="auto"/> as of 2024. There were also another 2,512,591 non-Hispanic Spanish speakers at home older than 5 years old (5.6% of 44,867,699) as of 2024.<ref name="lenguaviva.org2"/> Total number of people who speak at least a little Spanish: 59,103,805.<ref name="lenguaviva.org">[https://lenguaviva.org/espa%C3%B1ol%3A-una-lengua-viva-1 lenguaviva.org]</ref> To avoid double counting, 7.9 million Spanish students are not included, nor are some of the 7.4 million undocumented Hispanics who may not be reflected in the census).}} 
|- 
|[[Colombia]]*
|{{formatnum:53110609}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dane.gov.co/files/censo2018/proyecciones-de-poblacion/Nacional/DCD-area-proypoblacion-Nac-2020-2070.xlsx |date=1 January 2025 |title=Proyecciones de Población de DANE de 2020-2070 (DANE Population Projections 2020-2070)|publisher=Dane |location=CO |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322235136/https://www.dane.gov.co/index.php/estadisticas-por-tema/demografia-y-poblacion/proyecciones-de-poblacion|archive-date=22 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:52090885}} (98.1%)<ref name="viva18" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.datosmundial.com/america/colombia/index.php |title=datosmundial.com (Colombia) |access-date=24 October 2023}}</ref>
| 52 962 217 (99.7%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 148,392}}<ref name="IC2024">{{cite report |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_24/el_espanol_en_el_mundo_anuario_instituto_cervantes_2024.pdf |title=El español: una lengua viva – Informe 2024 |last=Fernández Vítores |first=David |date=2024 |publisher=[[Instituto Cervantes]]}} INDIGENOUS OR NATIVE POPULATIONS IN SPANISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES (pages 44 and 45).</ref>
|- 
| [[Spain]]*
| {{formatnum:49315949}}<ref>{{cite web| url = https://ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736177095&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254735572981| title = Census INE estimate for 1 July 2025 | archive-date = 2022-01-13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220113005818/https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Tabla.htm?t=36643| url-status = live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:42214452}} (85.6%)<ref name="INEespañol">[https://www.ine.es/prensa/ecepov_2021.pdf INE (2021)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102180735/https://www.ine.es/prensa/ecepov_2021.pdf |date=2 November 2023}}: In Spain, 85.6% speak Spanish always or frequently in family (77.1% always and 8.5% frequently), 96% speak Spanish well, and 99.5% understand and speak, albeit with difficulty .</ref>
| {{formatnum:47343311}} (96%)<ref name="INEespañol" />
| {{formatnum:48908080}} (99.5%)<ref name="INEespañol" />
|- 
| [[Argentina]]*
| {{formatnum:47473760}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indec.gob.ar%2Fftp%2Fcuadros%2Fpoblacion%2Fc1_proyecciones_nac_2010_2040.xls&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |title=Argentinian census INDEC estimate for 2025 |date = 2025}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:45574810}} (96.0%)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.datosmundial.com/america/argentina/index.php |title=datosmundial.com (Argentina) |access-date=24 October 2023 |archive-date=17 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417002409/https://www.datosmundial.com/america/argentina/index.php |url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:46856601}} (98.7%)<ref name="viva18" />
|{{formatnum:47188917}} (99.4%)<ref name="DemografíaLengEsp" />
|- 
| [[Peru]]*
| {{formatnum:34412393}}<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.inei.gob.pe/media/principales_indicadores/libro_1.pdf | language = es | title = Estimación y proyección de la población 1950-2050 | trans-title = Population estimation and projection 1950-2050 | year = 2025 | publisher = INEI | page = 140 }}</ref>
| {{formatnum:28527874}} (82.9%)<ref>{{Cite web | quote = Spanish (official) 84.1%, Quechua (official) 13%, Aymara 1.7%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes a large number of minor Amazonian languages) 0.7%, other 0.2% | year = 2017 | work = The World factbook | title=Peru | url = https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/peru/ | publisher = CIA | access-date = 4 October 2011 | archive-date = 19 November 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211119135020/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/peru/ | url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | quote = There are 5,782,260 people who speak other language as mother tongue (main languages: Quechua (among 32 Quechua's varieties) 4,773,900, Aymara (2 varieties) 661,000, Chinese 100,000). | url = http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=pe | title = Peru | publisher = Ethnologue | access-date = 21 September 2011 | archive-date = 2 December 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111202105534/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=pe | url-status = live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:29594658}} (86.6%)<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:30600340}} (88.9%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 335,576}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Venezuela]]*
| 28,460,000 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://population.un.org/wpp/|title=World Population Prospects 2024 (2024-2050)|publisher=UN |date=2025}}</ref>
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:27720040}} (97.4%)<ref name="viva18" /><ref>{{Cite web | quote = There are 1,098,244 people who speak other language as their mother tongue (main languages: Chinese 400,000, Portuguese 254,000, Wayuu 199,000, Arabic 110,000) | url = http://www.ethnologue.com/country/VE/languages | publisher = Ethnologue | title = Venezuela | access-date = 30 May 2013 | archive-date = 10 March 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130310032805/http://www.ethnologue.com/country/ve/languages | url-status = dead}}</ref>
|{{formatnum:28240466}} (99.2%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 219,534}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Chile]]*
| {{formatnum:20206953}}<ref>{{cite web | url = https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.censo2017.cl%2Fdescargas%2Fproyecciones%2Festimaciones-y-proyecciones-chile-1992-2050-base-2017-poblacion-e-indicacores.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK | title = Census estimate for 1992 to 2050 | trans-title = Reports | publisher = INE | year = 2025 | language = es }}</ref> 
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:19317847}} (95.6%)<ref name="viva18" /><ref>{{Cite web | quote = There are 281,600 people who speak another language, mainly Mapudungun (250.000) |url = http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=CL | title = Chile | publisher = Ethnologue | access-date = 12 October 2011 | archive-date = 3 February 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130203004338/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=CL | url-status = live}}</ref>
|{{formatnum:19945772}} (99.6%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 85,869}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Ecuador]]*
| {{formatnum:18013000}}<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://proyeccionespoblacionales.ecudatanalytics.com/ | title=Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Census | date = 2025}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:16877244}}  (93.7%)<ref name="viva18" />
|{{formatnum:17474448}} (97.0%){{efn|People with Spanish limited competence in Ecuador: 537,552. Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 451,533}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|{{formatnum:17642817}} (98.6%)<ref>{{cite web |author=CIA Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ecuador/ |title=(2019) |publisher=CIA Factbook |date=19 February 1999 |access-date=24 March 2014 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110072816/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ecuador |url-status=live}}</ref>
|- 
| [[Guatemala]]*
| {{formatnum:18079810}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ine.gob.gt%2Fine%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2FEstimaciones_y_proyecciones_de_poblacion-1950-2050.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |title=Guatemala: Estimaciones y proyecciones de población 1950–2050. |language=es |website=www.oj.gob.gt |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística | date=2025 }}</ref>
| {{formatnum:12637787}} (69.9%)<ref>{{Cite web | title=Guatemala | quote = Spanish (official) 69.9%, Amerindian languages 40% | work = The World Factbook | url = https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/guatemala/ | publisher = CIA | access-date = 27 January 2021 | archive-date = 15 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210415030536/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/guatemala/ | url-status = live}}</ref>
|{{formatnum:13722576}} (75.9%)<ref name="viva18" />
|{{formatnum:16440943}} (90.8%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 1,638,867}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Bolivia]]*
| {{formatnum:12332252}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ine.gob.bo/index.php/censos-y-proyecciones-de-poblacion-sociales/ |title=Census INE estimate for 2024 |publisher=INE}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:7485677}} (60.7%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bolivia/|title=South America :: Bolivia — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=13 March 2020|archive-date=27 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927041747/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bolivia/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{formatnum:9927463}} (80.5%)<ref name="viva18" />
|{{formatnum:12064523}} (97.8%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 267,729}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Cuba]]*
| {{formatnum:11089511}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.onei.gob.cu/node/13815 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211142555/http://www.onei.gob.cu/node/13815 |archive-date=11 December 2020 |website=ONEI |title=31 December 2022 estimation}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:10996367}} (99.2%)<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:10996367}} (99.2%)<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Dominican Republic]]*
| {{formatnum:10878267}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.one.gob.do%2Fmedia%2Fc2bh3ckv%2Fcuadro-estimaciones-y-proyecciones-poblaci%25C3%25B3n-total-por-a%25C3%25B1o-seg%25C3%25BAn-sexo-edad-2000-2030.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |title=Census ONE estimate 2000-2030 |language=es |publisher=Oficina Nacional de Estadística |date=2025}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | {{formatnum:10323475}} (94.9%)<ref name="viva18" />
|{{formatnum:10747728}} (98.8%)<ref name="DemografíaLengEsp" />
|- 
| [[Honduras]]*
| {{formatnum:10039862}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://181.115.7.199/binhnd/RpWebEngine.exe/Portal?BASE=PROYPOB&lang=ESP |title=INE estimate  |date=2025}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:9549917}} (95.1%)<ref name="viva18" /><ref>There are 207,750 people who speak another language, mainly Garifuna (98,000).: [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=HN Ethnologue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013214744/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=HN |date=13 October 2011}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:9949503}} (99.1%)<ref name="DemografíaLengEsp" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[France]]
| {{formatnum:68381000}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/serie/001641607|title=INSEE estimate to 2024|publisher=Insee.fr|date=2024}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:557001}} <small>(1% of 55 700 114)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/><ref>There are more than {{formatnum:433000}} emigrants from predominantly Spanish-speaking countries in France, of which 93.6% speak native Spanish ([https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_24/el_espanol_en_el_mundo_anuario_instituto_cervantes_2024.pdf.pdf Inst. Cerv. Anuario 2024]): {{formatnum:310072}} Spaniards ([https://www.ine.es/jaxi/Datos.htm?path=/t20/p85001/serie/l0/&file=01001.px INE, 2025]) + {{formatnum:31151}} Colombians + {{formatnum:16473}} Chileans + {{formatnum:14807}} Argentines + {{formatnum:13390}} Mexicans  + {{formatnum:13361}} Peruvians + {{formatnum:7249}} Venezuelans + {{formatnum:5466}} Cubans  + {{formatnum:4730}} Ecuatorians + 3,992 Dominicans + {{formatnum:3598}} Bolivians  + 3,423 Guatemalans + {{formatnum:2784}} Uruguayans + {{formatnum:1178}} Paraguayans ([https://datosmacro.expansion.com/demografia/migracion/inmigracion/francia datosmacro 2020]). On the other hand, we should consider Spanish emigrants who have become French citizens and still speak Spanish, or the descendants of Spanish emigrants born in France who speak Spanish at home.</ref>
| {{formatnum:1910258}} <small>(4% of 55 700 114)</small>{{efn|3% of people in France older than 12, speak Spanish very well, and 1% speak Spanish as a native language.}}<ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:7798016}}  <small>(14% of 55 700 114)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Brazil]]
| {{formatnum:212584000}}<ref>{{Cite web | language = pt-br | trans-title = The IBGE publishes the population estimates for 1 July 2024 | url = https://www.ibge.gov.br/apps/populacao/projecao/index.html | title = IBGE population estimations | year = 2024}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:1350000}}<ref name="lenguaviva.org"/><ref>There are {{formatnum:1554744}} emigrants from predominantly Spanish-speaking countries in Brazil ([https://www.nepo.unicamp.br/observatorio/bancointerativo/numeros-imigracao-internacional/sincre-sismigra/ nepo.unicamp.br 2024]), of which 93.6% speak native Spanish ([https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_24/el_espanol_en_el_mundo_anuario_instituto_cervantes_2024.pdf.pdf Inst. Cerv. Anuario 2024]): {{formatnum:672894}} Venezuelans + {{formatnum:187562}} Bolivians + {{formatnum:143928}} Spaniards ([https://www.ine.es/jaxi/Datos.htm?path=/t20/p85001/serie/l0/&file=01001.px INE, 2025]) + {{formatnum:108587}} Colombians + {{formatnum:106271}} Argentines + {{formatnum:68650}} Paraguayans + {{formatnum:65976}} Cubans + {{formatnum:61033}} Peruvians + {{formatnum:59562}} Uruguayans + {{formatnum:25064}} Mexicans + {{formatnum:24393}} Chileans + {{formatnum:14793}} Ecuatorians + 4,793 Dominicans + 2,962 Hondurans + 2,179 Costa Ricans + 1,905 Guatemalans. Total Native Spanish speakers 1,454,676.</ref>
| {{formatnum:7425818}}{{efn|1,350,000 immigrants native speakers + 96,000 descendants of immigrants<ref name="lenguaviva.org"/> + 1,931,480 [[Portuñol]] speakers in border areas + 4,048,338 Spanish students<ref name="viva18" />.}}
|- 
| [[Nicaragua]]*
| {{formatnum:6803886}}<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.inide.gob.ni/docs/Anuarios/Anuario2022/ANUARIO_ESTADISTICO2022.pdf| title = Census estimate for 2023}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:6484103}} (95.3%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nicaragua/|title=Nicaragua|date=25 June 2025|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|via=CIA.gov}}</ref><ref>There are 490,124 people who speak another language, mainly Mískito (154,000).: [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=NI Ethnologue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115100732/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=NI |date=15 January 2013}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:6599769}} (97.1%)<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:6734219}} (98.9%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 69,667}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Paraguay]]*
| {{formatnum:6417076}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ine.gov.py/publication-single.php?codec=266|title=Census estimate 1950-2050| date=2025}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:3946502}} (61.5%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/paraguay/|title=South America :: Paraguay — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=18 March 2020|archive-date=31 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231111825/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/pa.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|  {{formatnum:4318692}} (67.3%)<ref name="viva18" />
|  {{formatnum:6397823}} (99,7%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 19,253. Indigenous population that have limited competence: 2,456,048 (page 45, 34 of "Anuario del Instituto Cervantes 2024").}}<ref name="IC2024"/><ref>{{cite web| url = https://es.ripleybelieves.com/what-languages-are-spoken-in-paraguay-1238| title = es.ripleybelieves.com| access-date = 14 January 2022| archive-date = 15 January 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115062719/https://es.ripleybelieves.com/what-languages-are-spoken-in-paraguay-1238| url-status = live}}</ref>
|- 
| [[El Salvador]]*
| {{formatnum:6029976}}<ref>{{cite web| url = https://censo2024.bcr.gob.sv/wp-content/uploads/tablas-geoportal/presentacion-de-resultados-censo-de-poblacion-y-vivienda-el-salvador-2024-segunda-entrega.pdf| title = Census estimate for 2024}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:6015876}}<ref>There are 14,100 people who speak other language as their mother tongue (main language, Kekchí with 12,300 speakers): [http://www.ethnologue.com/country/SV Ethnologue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207044049/http://www.ethnologue.com/country/SV |date=7 February 2016}}.</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:6023946}} (99.9%)<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Germany]]
| {{formatnum:83190556}}<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Bevoelkerungsstand/Tabellen/zensus-geschlecht-staatsangehoerigkeit-2020.html | title = German census | date = 2020 | publisher = Destatis | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160628112855/https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/Population/CurrentPopulation/Tables/Census_SexAndCitizenship.html | archive-date = 28 June 2016 | url-status = live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:716772}} <small>(1% of 71 677 231)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/><ref>Native command group (GDL): 266,955 non-nationalized Spanish-speaking immigrants, 63,752 nationalized Spanish-speaking immigrants, 44,500 Spanish speakers of children of immigrants (second generation). 375,207 total native speakers, but there are another 37,047 non-mother-tongue speakers with native-level skills. [https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_lengua_viva/pdf/espanol_lengua_viva_2020.pdf Anuario del Instituto Cervantes 2020 (page 325). "Germany and their Spanish speakers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218134448/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_lengua_viva/pdf/espanol_lengua_viva_2019.pdf |date=18 February 2020}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:2150317}} <small>(3% of 71 677 231)</small>{{efn|2% of people in Germany older than 12, speak Spanish very well, and 1% speak Spanish as a native language.}}<ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:5734178}} <small>(8% of 71 677 231)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- 
| [[Costa Rica]]*
| {{formatnum:5327387}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inec.cr/poblacion/estimaciones-y-proyecciones-de-poblacion |title=INEC estimate for 2024 |publisher=INEC}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:5268786}} (98.9%)<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:5326600}} (99.9%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 897}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Panama]]*
| {{formatnum:4565559}}<ref>[https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inec.gob.pa%2Farchivos%2FP4911CUADRO9.XLS&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK Census INEC estimate for 2025]</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:3944643}} (86.4)<ref name="viva18" /><ref>There are 501,043 people who speak another language as mother tongue: {{Cite web | url = http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=PA | title = PA | publisher = Ethnologue | access-date = 17 October 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111021142552/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=PA | archive-date = 21 October 2011 | url-status = live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:4495892}} (98.4%){{efn|Indigenous population that does not speak Spanish: 69,667}}<ref name="IC2024"/>
|- 
| [[Uruguay]]*
| {{formatnum:3499451}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/censos2023pvh|title=Censo 2023|website=Instituto Nacional de Estadística}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:3348975}} (95.7%)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.datosmundial.com/america/uruguay/index.php|title=Uruguay: datos de países y estadísticas|website=DatosMundial.com}}</ref><ref>There are 150,200 people who speak another language as mother tongue, {{Cite web | url = http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=UY | title = UY | publisher = Ethnologue | access-date = 17 October 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111116095609/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=UY | archive-date = 16 November 2011 | url-status = live}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:3467956}} (99.1%)<ref name="viva18" />
|-
| [[Puerto Rico]]*
| {{formatnum:3203295}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/PR/PST045224 |title=2024 US. census Bureau }}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:3049537}} (95.2%)<ref>([https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2023.S1601?q=race&t=Language%20Spoken%20at%20Home&g=040XX00US72&y=2023 Census Bureau 2023] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924081747/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/municipios/totals/2011/tables/PRM-EST2011-01.xls |date=24 September 2015}})</ref>
| {{formatnum:3200092}} (99.9%)<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[United Kingdom]]
| {{formatnum:68265209}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/latest |title=Annual Mid year Population Estimates: 2023 |publisher=U.K. Gov. Census |date=1 July 2023}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:215062}} (0.4%)<ref>[[Languages of the United Kingdom]]</ref>
| {{formatnum:518480}} <small>(1% of 51,848,010)</small><ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 goodspeakers">[https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/1049 Eurobarometr 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429224902/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf |date=29 April 2013}} (pages T74, TS2): Non native people who speak Spanish very well.</ref>
| {{formatnum:3110880}} <small>(6% of 51,848,010)</small><ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 speakers">[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf Eurobarometr 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429224902/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf |date=29 April 2013}} (page T64): Non native people who speak Spanish well enough in order to be able to have a conversation.</ref>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Italy]]
| {{formatnum:60542215}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.istat.it/en/population-and-households |title=Census 2021 estimate|publisher=Istat.it |access-date=24 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807053109/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&language=en&pcode=tps00001&tableSelection=1&footnotes=yes&labeling=labels&plugin=1 |archive-date=7 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:515597}} <small>(1% of 51,862,391)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
| {{formatnum:1546790}} <small>(3% of 51,862,391)</small>{{efn|2% of people in Italy older than 12, speak Spanish very well, and 1% speak Spanish as a native language.}}<ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:3093580}} <small>(6% of 51,862,391)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Morocco]]
| {{formatnum:36828330}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hcp.ma/Population-legale-du-Royaume-du-Maroc-repartie-par-regions-provinces-et-prefectures-et-communes-selon-les-resultats-du_a3974.html|title=Census estimate for 2024|publisher=HCP}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:136892}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:1888625}}<ref name="viva18" /><ref>[http://www.slideshare.net/magdarol/el-espaol-en-el-contexto-sociolingstico-marroqui-evolucin-y-perspectivas-i El español en el contexto Sociolingüístico marroquí: Evolución y perspectivas (page 39)]: Between 4 and 7 million people have Spanish knowledge (M. Ammadi, 2002) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106191132/http://www.slideshare.net/magdarol/el-espaol-en-el-contexto-sociolingstico-marroqui-evolucin-y-perspectivas-i |date=6 November 2013}}</ref> (10%)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/RABAT/es/Noticias/Documents/LENGESPMARR.pdf |title=Euromonitor, 2012|page=32|work=exteriores.gob.es|access-date=19 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425134251/http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/RABAT/es/Noticias/Documents/LENGESPMARR.pdf|archive-date=25 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Canada]]
| {{formatnum:41465298}}<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901 | title = Population estimates, quarterly | date = 2024 | publisher = Statistics Canada }}</ref>
| {{formatnum:600795}} (1.6%)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/dv-vd/language-langue/index-en.html |title=Mother tongue by geography, 2021 Census |date=2021 |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=24 October 2023 |archive-date=14 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114071602/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/dv-vd/language-langue/index-en.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:1171450}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810021601&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.1&pickMembers%5B1%5D=2.1&pickMembers%5B2%5D=3.1&pickMembers%5B3%5D=4.1 |title=Knowledge of languages by age and gender: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions |date=2022 |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=24 October 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122225258/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810021601&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.1&pickMembers%5B1%5D=2.1&pickMembers%5B2%5D=3.1&pickMembers%5B3%5D=4.1 |url-status=live}}</ref> (3.2%)<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/canada/#people-and-society cia.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922212931/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/canada/#people-and-society |date=22 September 2021}} (3.2% speak Spanish in Canada)</ref>
| {{formatnum:1775000}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tln.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/spanish-speaking-canada-population_2.pdf |title=tln.ca |access-date=24 October 2023 |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207190552/https://www.tln.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/spanish-speaking-canada-population_2.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://allontario.ca/the-importance-of-spanish-in-canada/ |title=allontario.ca |date=14 May 2020 |access-date=24 October 2023 |archive-date=27 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927175639/https://allontario.ca/the-importance-of-spanish-in-canada/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
|- style="background:#fff;" 
| [[Netherlands]]
| {{formatnum:18070000}}<ref>{{cite web |date=24 March 2025 |title=Bevolkingsteller: Hoeveel mensen wonen nu in Nederland? |trans-title=Population counter: How many people live in the Netherlands now? |url=https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/visualisaties/dashboard-bevolking/bevolkingsteller |access-date=24 March 2025 |publisher=Cbs.nl}}</ref>
|
| 
| {{formatnum:1328731}} <small>(9% of 14 763 684)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- 
| [[Equatorial Guinea]]*
| {{formatnum:1505588}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://inege.gq/ |title=Equatorial Guinea census estimate |year=2021 |publisher=Population statistics |access-date=21 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806160229/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/estadistica.php |archive-date=6 August 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|
| {{formatnum:1114135}} (74%)<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:1320401}} (87.7%)<ref>[https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_08.pdf cvc.cervantes.es]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227153232/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_08.pdf |date=27 December 2021}}. 13.7% of the country's Spanish speakers are proficient; the remaining 74% are limited-competence speakers.</ref>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Portugal]]
| {{formatnum:10639726}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_destaques&DESTAQUESdest_boui=645507713&DESTAQUESmodo=2 |title=INE estimate |date=31 Dec 2023}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:48791}}<ref name="port" />
| {{formatnum:178312}} <small>(2% of 8,915,624)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:1089995}}<ref name="port" >{{Cite web |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_europa/espanol_portugal/demolinguistica_espanol_portugal.pdf |title= Demo lingüística del español en Portugal  |publisher= Instituto Cervantes | page = 31 |access-date=2 December 2023  |archive-date=22 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222110248/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/espanol_europa/espanol_portugal/demolinguistica_espanol_portugal.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Belgium]]
| {{formatnum:11812354}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be/fileadmin/user_upload/fr/pop/statistiques/population-bevolking-20250101.pdf |title=Census estimate to 2025 |publisher=ibz.rrn.fgov.be}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:96193}} <small>(1% of 9,619,330)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
| {{formatnum:192387}} <small>(2% of 9,619,330)</small>{{efn|1% of people in Belgium older than 12, speak Spanish very well, and 1% speak Spanish as a native language.}}<ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:961933}} <small>(10% of 9,619,330)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Sweden]]
| {{formatnum:10588230}}<ref>{{Cite news |title=Population statistics - Statistics Sweden |url=http://www.scb.se:80/Pages/Product____25799.aspx |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20131105201119/http://www.scb.se:80/Pages/Product____25799.aspx |archive-date=2013-11-05 |access-date=2025-08-15 |work=Statistiska Centralbyrån |language=sv}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:85415}} <small>(1% of 8,541,497)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
| {{formatnum:854149}} <small>(10% of 8,541,497)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Ivory Coast]]
| {{formatnum:29389150}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ins.ci/n | title=Census, 2021}}</ref>
|
|
| {{formatnum:798095}} (students)<ref name="viva18" /> 
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Australia]]
| 27,309,396 <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3101.0 |title=2024 Census |publisher= Australian census data |date=30 Sep 2024 }}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:175491}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:559491}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Switzerland]]
| {{formatnum:9060598}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-19 |title=Population counter (real-time estimate) {{!}} Image |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/en/32175841 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=Federal Statistical Office |language=en}}</ref>
|  colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:212970}}<ref name="viva18" />(2.3%)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/05/blank/key/sprachen.html |title=Bevölkerung |first=Bundesamt für|last=Statistik|website=www.bfs.admin.ch|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114180444/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/05/blank/key/sprachen.html|archive-date=14 January 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.exteriores.gob.es/documents/fichaspais/suiza_ficha%20pais.pdf exteriores.gob.es] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124220134/http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Documents/FichasPais/SUIZA_FICHA%20PAIS.pdf |date=24 January 2022}}. 2.3% Spanish speakers as a native language according to 2018 census.</ref>
| {{formatnum:556131}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Philippines]]
| {{formatnum:114123600}}<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/dhsd/Statistical%20Tables%20CBPP_0.pdf | publisher = National Statistics Office | title = Medium projection | date = 1 Jul 2025 }}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | {{formatnum:6834}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:554530}}<ref name="viva18" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_18/madrid/p01.htm |title=cvc.cervantes.es |access-date=25 October 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816002359/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_18/madrid/p01.htm |url-status=live}} There are 4,803 native Spanish speakers + 461,689 Spanish speakers with limited competence + 33,600 Spanish students.</ref>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Romania]]
| {{formatnum:19051562}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://insse.ro/cms/sites/default/files/com_presa/com_pdf/poprez_ian2023r.pdf |title=Eurostat (1/1/2023 estimate) |publisher=insse.ro }}</ref>
|
| |
| {{formatnum:485241}} <small>(3 of 16,174,719)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Denmark]]
| {{formatnum:5982117}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dst.dk/en/Statistik/emner/borgere/befolkning/befolkningstal|title=Population figures - Statistics Denmark}}</ref>
|
|
|{{formatnum:440213}} <small>(9% of 4,891,261)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- 
| [[Western Sahara]]
| {{formatnum:590506}}<ref>{{cite web | url = https://population.un.org/wpp/ | title = 2024 UN estimate | year = 2024 }}</ref>
| N/A<ref>The 1970 Spanish census claims there were 16,648 Spanish speakers in Western Sahara at the time ([http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_99/otero/p03.htm#7]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917062525/http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_99/otero/p03.htm#7|date=17 September 2009}}), but most of them were probably people born in Spain who left after the Moroccan annexation.</ref>
|
| {{formatnum:423739}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Benin]]
| {{formatnum:12910087}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://instad.bj/images/docs/Actualit%C3%A9s/Projection%20r%C3%A9vis%C3%A9e.pdf |title=National annual projection |date=1 Jul 2024}}</ref>
|
|
| {{formatnum:412515}} (students)<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Cameroon]]
| {{formatnum:28758503}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=PROJECTIONS DEMOGRAPHIQUES ET ESTIMATIONS DES CIBLES PRIORITAIRES DES DIFFERENTS PROGRAMMES ET INTERVENTIONS DE SANTE – Institut National de la Statistique du Cameroun |url=https://ins-cameroun.cm/document/projections-demographiques-et-estimations-des-cibles-prioritaires-des-differents-programmes-et-interventions-de-sante/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250512231216/https://ins-cameroun.cm/document/projections-demographiques-et-estimations-des-cibles-prioritaires-des-differents-programmes-et-interventions-de-sante/ |archive-date=2025-05-12 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=ins-cameroun.cm |date=30 June 2023 |language=fr-FR}}</ref>
|
|
| {{formatnum:403000}} (students)<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Senegal]]
| {{formatnum:12853259}}
|
|
| {{formatnum:356000}} (students)<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Poland]]
| {{formatnum:38036118}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stat.gov.pl/en/topics/other-studies/informations-on-socio-economic-situation/statistical-bulletin-no-112022,4,145.html|title=Statistical Bulletin No 11/2022|website=stat.gov.pl}}</ref>
|
| 
| {{formatnum:319829}} <small>(1% of 31,982,941)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Austria]]
| {{formatnum:9198214}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population at beginning of year/quarter |url=https://www.statistik.at/en/statistics/population-and-society/population/population-stock/population-at-beginning-of-year/quarter |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=STATISTICS AUSTRIA |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|
| {{formatnum:76471}} <small>(1% of 7,647,176)</small><ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:305887}} <small>(4% of 7,647,176)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Ireland]]
| {{formatnum:5380300}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-27 |title=Population and Migration Estimates, April 2024 - Central Statistics Office |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-pme/populationandmigrationestimatesapril2024/ |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=www.cso.ie |language=en}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:40059}} <small>(1% of 4,005,909)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
| {{formatnum:120177}} <small>(3% of 4,005,909)</small><ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:280414}} <small>(7% of 4,005,909)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Belize]]
| {{formatnum:430191}}<ref>{{Cite report |url=http://www.sib.org.bz/ |title=Spanish in belize |date= |language=es |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-date=4 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204235026/http://www.sib.org.bz/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:224130}} (52.1%)<ref name="Spanish in Belize">{{Cite report |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_42.pdf |title=Spanish in Belize. 52.1% speak Spanish with very well level. 10.7% speak Spanish with intermediate level. |date=2000 |language=es |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203033222/https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_42.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:224130}} (52.1%)
| 270,160 (62.8%)<ref name="Spanish in Belize" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Czech Republic]]
| {{formatnum:10897237}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://csu.gov.cz/home |title=czso.cz |language=cs |publisher=czso.cz |date= September 2024 }}</ref>
|
| {{formatnum:89820}} <small>(1% of 8,982,036)</small><ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:269461}} <small>(3% of 8,982,036)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Algeria]]
| {{formatnum:47400000}}<ref>[https://www.ons.dz/IMG/pdf/Demographie_Algerienne2020_2023.pdf ons.dz], Census estimate for 1 Jan 2025.</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:1149}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:263428}}{{efn|There are 1,149 native Spanish speakers + 173,600 Spanish speakers with limited competence + 88,679 Spanish students.}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Curaçao]], [[Sint Maarten]], [[Bonaire]], [[Sint Eustatius]] & [[Saba (island)|Saba]]
|  244,700
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |  46,621 <ref name="viva18" />
| 203,339 <ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Finland]]
| {{formatnum:5638675}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preliminary population structure by Month, Area, Sex, Age and Information |url=https://pxdata.stat.fi/PxWebPxWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__vamuu/statfin_vamuu_pxt_11lj.px/ |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=PxWeb |language=en}}</ref>
|
|
| {{formatnum:186917}} <small>(4% of 4,672,932)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Greece]]
| {{formatnum:10400720}}<ref>[https://www.statistics.gr/documents/20181/b248e72c-2917-bdae-1d15-98d22787adb7 statistics.gr] 1-January-2024.</ref>
|
| {{formatnum:91679}} <small>(1% of 9,167,896)</small><ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:183358}} <small>(2% of 9,167,896)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Bulgaria]]
| {{formatnum:6445481}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Население към 7 септември 2021 година |url=https://www.nsi.bg/press-release/naselenie-kam-7-septemvri-2021-godina-6796 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=НСИ - Национален статистически институт |language=bg}}</ref>
|
| {{formatnum:59175}} <small>(1% of 5,917,534)</small><ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:177526}} <small>(3% of 5,917,534)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Gabon]]
| {{formatnum:2408586}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Projection de la population 2019-2025 |url=https://www.statgabon.ga/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Rapport-Projection_Final.pdf |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250502204210/https://www.statgabon.ga/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Rapport-Projection_Final.pdf |archive-date=2025-05-02 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=www.statgabon.ga}}</ref>
|
|
| {{formatnum:167410}} (students)<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Hungary]]
| {{formatnum:9540000}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ksh.hu/stadat_files/nep/en/nep0001.html |title=Census estimate |publisher=ksh.hu |date= 1 January 2025 }}</ref>
|
| {{formatnum:83135}} <small>(1% of 8,313,539)</small><ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:166271}} <small>(2% of 8,313,539)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Russia]]
| {{formatnum:146028325}}<ref>{{cite web |url= https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/PrPopul2025_Site.xlsx |title=Census estimate for 2025 |publisher=Russian census estimate |date=1 January 2025 }}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | {{formatnum: 28924}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:163354}} <small>(134,430 students)</small><ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Japan]]
| {{formatnum:123440000}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics Bureau Home Page/Population Estimates Monthly Report |url=https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/tsuki/index.htm |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=www.stat.go.jp}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:131000}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:160000}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Slovakia]]
| {{formatnum:5421272}} <ref>{{Cite web |title=Stav obyvateľstva v SR k 30. septembru 2024 |url=https://slovak.statistics.sk/wps/portal/ext/products/informationmessages/inf_sprava_detail/3ea24db8-57c6-4e4b-b535-050d5353d478/!ut/p/z1/tVLNUsIwGHwWDz2m-SApCd4Co_wIjoAI5OK0JdAKbWobW_HpTR0vzIjgwVy-ZGZ3s5sNlniJZeqX8dY3sU79vT2vZOt5wga802kIgM6IwGB4N7vvd2-bvbmHF8cAfj-9gcGjeOhNh7QB1MPyd_4TlliGqclMhFc6KPwIFTsUpxvk74wDdqPzxLopU4WKLPfLgwNloczOTqL8Jl0HHHksbCGqaIACj3gIPFjbSdaU8Vo-C-M1Xl2EXpzLW8eBE0uA5csvSLcn-pSNAPio58FA9OfT9oQQEOQb8IvGynpgJz00GF6UsarwPK1fZo9nf4zYBzw814qtPX55fZXCdqNTo94NXv5HOfaeZj7ujrc2gW-iWlrj5UVUmyEOErcKExdcxhkQxjht0nbLI6QWFmlAuBXO1UblKnffcvudI2Oy4toBB6qqcrdab_fKDXXiwE-USBc2-DESZ8k84eSAdpvxDaEyOJCPkVqIq08a31Kc/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250319082306/https://slovak.statistics.sk/wps/portal/ext/products/informationmessages/inf_sprava_detail/3ea24db8-57c6-4e4b-b535-050d5353d478/!ut/p/z1/tVLNUsIwGHwWDz2m-SApCd4Co_wIjoAI5OK0JdAKbWobW_HpTR0vzIjgwVy-ZGZ3s5sNlniJZeqX8dY3sU79vT2vZOt5wga802kIgM6IwGB4N7vvd2-bvbmHF8cAfj-9gcGjeOhNh7QB1MPyd_4TlliGqclMhFc6KPwIFTsUpxvk74wDdqPzxLopU4WKLPfLgwNloczOTqL8Jl0HHHksbCGqaIACj3gIPFjbSdaU8Vo-C-M1Xl2EXpzLW8eBE0uA5csvSLcn-pSNAPio58FA9OfT9oQQEOQb8IvGynpgJz00GF6UsarwPK1fZo9nf4zYBzw814qtPX55fZXCdqNTo94NXv5HOfaeZj7ujrc2gW-iWlrj5UVUmyEOErcKExdcxhkQxjht0nbLI6QWFmlAuBXO1UblKnffcvudI2Oy4toBB6qqcrdab_fKDXXiwE-USBc2-DESZ8k84eSAdpvxDaEyOJCPkVqIq08a31Kc/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ |archive-date=2025-03-19 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=slovak.statistics.sk |language=sk}}</ref>
|
| {{formatnum:45915}} <small>(1% of 4,591,487)</small><ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:91830}} <small>(2% of 4,591,487)</small><ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Israel]]
| {{formatnum:10045100}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Time Series DataBank |url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/en/Statistics/Pages/Generators/Time-Series-DataBank.aspx |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=www.cbs.gov.il |language=en-US}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:104000}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:149000}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Norway]]
| {{formatnum:5594340}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/folketall/statistikk/befolkning |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=SSB |language=en}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | {{formatnum:13000}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:132888}}{{efn|There are 13,000 native Spanish speakers + 24,000 Spanish speakers with limited competence + 95,888 Spanish students.}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Aruba]]
| {{formatnum:107566}}<ref>{{cite web |date=1 January 2024 |title=General characteristics of Aruba 2023 |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2022/09/20/test-2/ |publisher=CBS}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | {{formatnum:14737}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:89387}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Luxembourg]]
| {{formatnum:672050}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://statistiques.public.lu/dam-assets/actualite/2024/stn16-pop-2024/stn16-2024-population-2024-v20.pdf|title=January 2024 Census estimate.}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:16000}} <small>(3% of 533,335)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
| {{formatnum:37000}} <small>(7% of 533,335)</small>{{efn|4% of people in Italy older than 12, speak Spanish very well, and 3% speak Spanish as a native language.}}<ref name="Eurob2023b"/>
| {{formatnum:80000}} <small>(15% of 533,335)</small> <ref name="Eurob2023"/>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Andorra]]
| {{formatnum:85101}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.estadistica.ad/portal/apps/sites/#/estadistica-ca/pages/estadistiques-i-dades-detall?Idioma=ca&N2=605&N3=606&DV=797|title=2024 Census estimate}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:34132}} (43.2%)<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:49018}} (57.6%)<ref>[https://static1.ara.cat/ara/public/content/file/original/2019/1216/13/principals-dades-de-l-estudi-sobre-coneixements-i-usos-lingueistics-d0807a0.pdf static1.ara.cat]: 43.2% speak Spanish as a mother tongue, and 14.4% as a second language.</ref>
| {{formatnum:71677}} (80.0%)<ref>[https://www.andorrainfo.com/andorra/idioma.html andorrainfo.com]</ref><ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Trinidad and Tobago]]
| {{formatnum:1368333}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-15 |title=Population Statistics Trinidad and Tobago |url=https://cso.gov.tt/subjects/population-and-vital-statistics/population/ |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=cso.gov.tt/ |language=en-US}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | {{formatnum:4000}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:70401}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[China]]
| {{formatnum:1408280000}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/guam/population-and-housing-unit-counts/guam-phc-table01.pdf|title=2020 census result}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:15130}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:69028}} <small>(53,898 students) </small><ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[New Zealand]]
|
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:22000}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:58373}} <small>(36,373 students)</small><ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Slovenia]]
|
|
| {{formatnum:35194}} <small>(2%<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 goodspeakers" /> of 1,759,701<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 population">[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf Eurobarometr 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429224902/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf |date=29 April 2013}} (page TS2): Population older than 15. (age scale used for the Eurobarometer survey)</ref>) </small>
| {{formatnum:52791}} <small>(3%<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 speakers" /> of 1,759,701<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 population" />)</small>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[India]]
| {{formatnum:1428627663}}<ref>{{cite web |url= https://population.un.org/wpp/ |title= 2024 UN estimate |date= 2024 }}</ref>
|  colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:4855}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:51104}} <small>(46,249 students)</small><ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Guam]]
| {{formatnum:153836}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202501/t20250117_1958330.html |title=Census estimate for 1 January 2025 |publisher=Stats.gov.cn}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |{{formatnum:1309}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:32233}}<ref name="viva18" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Gibraltar]]
| {{formatnum:34003}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistics - FAQ's |url=https://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum19/secciones/estudios-23-Gibraltar.htm |date=2020 |access-date=24 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105204953/https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/statistics/faqs |archive-date=5 January 2014}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | {{formatnum:24958}} (73.4%<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inglés y español en Gibraltar: Usos y actitudes lingüísticas entre la población joven |url=https://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum19/secciones/estudios-23-Gibraltar.htm |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240426213120/https://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum19/secciones/estudios-23-Gibraltar.htm |archive-date=2024-04-26 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=www.um.es |quote=(5.2. Datos descriptivos de los usos de español e inglés, Gráfico 2). 77.3% of the Gibraltar population speak Spanish with their mother more, or equal than English.}}</ref>)
| {{formatnum:31725}} (93.3 %<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inglés y español en Gibraltar: Usos y actitudes lingüísticas entre la población joven |url=https://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum19/secciones/estudios-23-Gibraltar.htm |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240426213120/https://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum19/secciones/estudios-23-Gibraltar.htm |archive-date=2024-04-26 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=www.um.es |quote=93.3 % speak at least some Spanish with their friends}}</ref>)
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Lithuania]]
| {{formatnum:2972949}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3010101&PLanguage=1&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=7743&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819130935/http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3010101&PLanguage=1&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=7743&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 August 2010 |title=(2013) |publisher=db1.stat.gov.lt |access-date=24 March 2014}}</ref>
|
|
| {{formatnum:28297}} <small>(1%<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 speakers" /> of 2,829,740<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 population" />)</small>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Turkey]]
| {{formatnum:85664944}} <ref>{{Cite web |title=TURKSTAT Corporate |url=https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=The-Results-of-Address-Based-Population-Registration-System-2023-49684&dil=2 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=data.tuik.gov.tr}}</ref>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | {{formatnum:5460}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:21660}} <ref name="viva18" /> 
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Egypt]]
| {{formatnum:105914499}} <ref>[https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Admin/Pages%20Files/20245121324361-%20pop_new.pdf]: Census estimate (1/1/2025)</ref>
|
|
| {{formatnum:21000}} <ref>{{cite web |url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_21/africa/egipto.htm |title=El español en Egipto |publisher=Instituto Cervantes |date=2021}}There are 6,000 Spanish students and 15,000 Egyptian citizens who speak Spanish for professional reasons</ref>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[US Virgin Islands]]
|
| {{formatnum:16788}} <ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:16788}}
| {{formatnum:16788}}
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Latvia]]
| {{formatnum:2209000}}
|
|
| {{formatnum:13943}} <small>(1%<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 speakers" /> of 1,447,866<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 population" />)</small>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Cyprus]]
|
|
|
| 2%<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 speakers" /> of 660,400<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 population" />
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Estonia]]
|
|
|
| {{formatnum:9457}} <small>(1%<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 speakers" /> of 945,733<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 population" />)</small>
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Jamaica]]
| {{formatnum:2711476}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://statinja.gov.jm/Demo_SocialStats/population.aspx |title=Jamaican Population |publisher=Statinja.gov.jm |access-date=24 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006125038/http://statinja.gov.jm/Demo_SocialStats/population.aspx |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{formatnum:8000}}<ref name="viva18" />
| {{formatnum:8000}}
| {{formatnum:8000}}
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Namibia]]
|
|  {{formatnum:666}}
|  {{formatnum:3866}}<ref>[http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_12.pdf El español en Namibia, 2005.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302153728/http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/anuario/anuario_06-07/pdf/paises_12.pdf |date=2 March 2013}} ''[[Instituto Cervantes]]''.</ref>
| {{formatnum:3866}}
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Malta]]
|
|
|
| {{formatnum:3354}} <small>(1%<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 speakers" /> of 335,476<ref name="Eurobarometer 2012 population" />)</small>
|-  style="background:#efff;" |class=sortbottom
| '''Total'''
| {{formatnum:8152000000}} (total world population)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/popclock/ |title=U.S. and World Population Clock   |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=18 March 2025 }}</ref>

| '''{{formatnum:{{#expr: 125098647 + 44867699 + 52090885 + 42214452 + 45574810 + 28527874 + 27720040 + 19317847 + 16877244 + 12637787 + 7485677 + 10995250 + 10323475 + 9549917 + 557001 + 6484103 + 3946502 + 5788776 + 716772 + 1444616 + 5268786 + 3944643 + 3348975 + 3049537 + 266025 + 515597 + 13204 + 223837 + 88461 + 600795 + 48265 + 96193 + 85415 + 6858 + 175491 + 4284 + 20320 + 224130  + 5150 + 1149 + 210115 + 6068 + 20070 + 104000 + 131000 + 40059 + 27921 + 16950 + 8241 + 15130 + 14737 + 4000 + 1201 + 22000 + 36763 + 47300 + 5872 + 24958 + 16000 + 5460 + 16788 + 4855 + 8000 + 1096 + 227 + 39 round 0}}}}'''  ({{formatnum:{{#expr: 49099533900 / 8152000000 round 1 }}}}%)<ref name="worldcia">According to the CIA Factbook, Spanish is the second most spoken language at 6%, and the fourth most spoken language overall at 6.9%.</ref><ref name="viva18" />

|'''{{formatnum:{{#expr: 125632117 + 49671936 + 52090885 + 47343311 + 46856601 + 29594658 + 27720040 + 19317847 + 17474448 + 13722576 + 9927463 + 10996367 + 10323475 + 9549917 + 2228004 + 6599769 + 4318692 + 	6029976 + 2150317 + 1444616 + 5268786 + 3944643 + 3467956 + 3049537 + 518480 + 1546790 + 13204 + 1209048 + 88461  + 1171450 + 178312 + 192387 + 85415 + 6858 + 175491 + 212970  + 16062 + 4284 + 76471 + 120177 + 224130 + 83135 + 173600 + 91679 + 59175 + 83135 + 131000 + 104000 + 46621 + 27921 + 8241 + 130750 + 5872 + 45914 + 16000 + 14737 + 4100 + 15130 + 1201 + 22000 + 49018 + 47300 + 5872 + 24958 + 37000 + 5460 + 16788 + 4855 + 8500 + 3870 + 1096 + 227 + 39 round 0}}}}'''  ({{formatnum:{{#expr: 51583312100 / 8152000000 round 1 }}}}%)<ref name="viva18" />

|'''{{formatnum:{{#expr: 132300489 + 64867699 + 52962217 + 48908080 + 47188917 + 30600340 + 28240466 + 20121084 + 17642817 + 16440943 + 12064523 + 10996350 + 10747728 + 9949503 + 7798016 + 7530494 + 6734219 + 6397823 + 6023946 + 5734178 + 5326600 + 4495892 + 3467956 + 3200092 + 3110880 + 3093580 + 1754485 + 1432886 + 1328731  + 1171450 + 1089995 + 961933 + 854149 + 798095 + 559491 + 554530 + 556131 + 485241 + 440213 + 423739 + 412515 + 403000 + 356000 + 319829 + 305887 + 280414 + 270160 + 269461 + 263428  + 209250 + 203339 + 186917 + 183358 + 177526 + 167410 + 166271 + 160000 + 149000 + 147809 + 140302 + 89387 + 80000 + 71650 + 73656 + 71677 + 71650 + 70401 + 69028 + 60582 + 57883 + 51104 + 48000 + 40628 + 31805 + 31725 + 23733 + 22232 + 21660 + 21000 + 17871 + 16788 + 8500 + 8000 + 6604 + 6099 + 3969 + 227 + 39 round 0}}}}'''  ({{formatnum:{{#expr: 58420367500 / 8152000000 round 1 }}}}%)<ref name="worldcia"/><ref name="viva18" /><ref name="ethnologue200">{{Cite web |title=What are the top 200 most spoken languages? |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/insights/ethnologue200/ |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=Ethnologue (Free All) |language=en |quote=Spanish is the fourth most spoken language with 558.5 million speakers.}}</ref>

|}

== Grammar ==
{{Main|Spanish grammar}}
[[File:Cervantes Jáuregui.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Miguel de Cervantes]], considered by many the greatest author of Spanish literature, and author of ''[[Don Quixote]]'', widely considered the first modern European novel]]

Most of the grammatical and [[Linguistic typology|typological]] features of Spanish are shared with the other [[Romance languages]]. Spanish is a [[fusional language]]. The [[Spanish nouns|noun]] and [[Spanish adjectives|adjective]] systems exhibit two [[Grammatical gender|genders]] and two [[Grammatical number|numbers]]. In addition, articles and some [[Spanish pronouns|pronouns]] and [[Spanish determiners|determiners]] have a neuter gender in their singular form. There are about fifty [[Grammatical conjugation|conjugated]] forms per [[verb]], with 3 tenses: past, present, future; 2 [[Grammatical aspect|aspects]] for past: [[Perfective aspect|perfective]], [[Imperfective aspect|imperfective]]; 4 [[Grammatical mood|moods]]: indicative, subjunctive, conditional, imperative; 3 persons: first, second, third; 2 numbers: singular, plural; 3 [[verboid]] forms: infinitive, gerund, and past participle. The indicative mood is the [[Markedness|unmarked]] one, while the subjunctive mood [[Subjunctive mood in Spanish|expresses uncertainty or indetermination]], and is commonly paired with the conditional, which is a mood used to express "would" (as in, "I would eat if I had food"); the imperative is a mood to express a command, commonly a one word phrase – "¡Di!" ("Talk!").

Verbs express [[T–V distinction]] by using different persons for formal and informal addresses. (For a detailed overview of verbs, see [[Spanish verbs]] and [[Spanish irregular verbs]].)

Spanish [[syntax]] is considered [[Branching (linguistics)|right-branching]], meaning that subordinate or [[Grammatical modifier|modifying]] [[Constituent (linguistics)|constituents]] tend to be placed after head words. The language uses [[Preposition and postposition|prepositions]] (rather than postpositions or inflection of nouns for [[Grammatical case|case]]), and usually—though not always—places [[adjective]]s after [[noun]]s, as do most other Romance languages.

Spanish is classified as a [[subject–verb–object]] language; however, as in most Romance languages, constituent order is highly variable and governed mainly by [[topicalization]] and [[Focus (linguistics)|focus]]. It is a "[[Pro-drop language|pro-drop]]", or "[[Null-subject language|null-subject]]" language—that is, it allows the deletion of subject pronouns when they are [[Pragmatics|pragmatically]] unnecessary. Spanish is described as a "[[Verb framing|verb-framed]]" language, meaning that the ''direction'' of motion is expressed in the verb while the ''mode'' of locomotion is expressed adverbially (e.g. ''subir corriendo'' or ''salir volando''; the respective English equivalents of these examples—'to run up' and 'to fly out'—show that English is, by contrast, "satellite-framed", with mode of locomotion expressed in the verb and direction in an adverbial modifier).

== Phonology ==
[[File:Miguel Hache - voice.ogg|thumb|Spanish as spoken in Spain]]
{{Main|Spanish phonology}}

The Spanish phonological system evolved from that of [[Vulgar Latin]]. Its development exhibits some traits in common with other [[Western Romance languages]], others with the neighboring Hispanic varieties—especially [[Leonese dialect|Leonese]] and [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]]—as well as other features unique to Spanish. Spanish is alone among its immediate neighbors in having undergone frequent aspiration and eventual loss of the Latin initial {{IPA|/f/}} sound (e.g. Cast. {{lang|es|harina}} vs. Leon. and Arag. {{lang|ast|farina}}).<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Zamora Vicente|1967|pp=117 and 222}}</ref> The Latin initial consonant sequences {{lang|la|pl-}}, {{lang|la|cl-}}, and {{lang|la|fl-}} in Spanish typically merge as {{lang|es|ll-}} (originally pronounced {{IPA|[ʎ]}}), while in Aragonese they are preserved in most dialects, and in Leonese they present a variety of outcomes, including {{IPA|[tʃ]}}, {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, and {{IPA|[ʎ]}}. Where Latin had {{lang|la|-li-}} before a vowel (e.g. {{lang|la|filius}}) or the ending {{lang|la|-iculus}}, {{lang|la|-icula}} (e.g. {{lang|la|auricula}}), Old Spanish produced {{IPA|[ʒ]}}, that in Modern Spanish became the velar fricative {{IPA|[x]}} ({{lang|es|hijo}}, {{lang|es|oreja}}), whereas neighboring languages have the palatal lateral {{IPA|[ʎ]}} (e.g. Portuguese {{lang|pt|filho}}, {{lang|pt|orelha}}; Catalan {{lang|ca|fill}}, {{lang|ca|orella}}).

=== Segmental phonology ===
[[File:Spanish vowel chart.svg|thumb|upright=1.15|Spanish vowel chart, from {{Harvcoltxt|Ladefoged|Johnson|2010|p=227}}]]
The Spanish [[Phoneme|phonemic]] inventory consists of five vowel phonemes ({{IPA|/a/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/i/}}, {{IPA|/o/}}, {{IPA|/u/}}) and 17 to 19 consonant phonemes (the exact number depending on the dialect<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Hualde|2014|p=39}}</ref>). The main [[Allophone|allophonic]] variation among vowels is the reduction of the high vowels {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} to glides—{{IPA|[j]}} and {{IPA|[w]}} respectively—when unstressed and adjacent to another vowel. Some instances of the mid vowels {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/o/}}, determined lexically, alternate with the diphthongs {{IPA|/je/}} and {{IPA|/we/}} respectively when stressed, in a process that is better described as [[Morphophonology|morphophonemic]] rather than phonological, as it is not predictable from phonology alone.

The Spanish consonant system is characterized by (1) three [[nasal stop|nasal]] phonemes, and one or two (depending on the dialect) [[lateral consonant|lateral]] phoneme(s), which in syllable-final position [[Archiphonemic|lose their contrast]] and are subject to [[Assimilation (linguistics)|assimilation]] to a following consonant; (2) three [[Voicelessness|voiceless]] [[Plosive|stops]] and the [[Affricate consonant|affricate]] {{IPA|/tʃ/}}; (3) three or four (depending on the dialect) [[Voicelessness|voiceless]] [[Fricative consonant|fricatives]]; (4) a set of voiced [[obstruent]]s—{{IPA|/b/}}, {{IPA|/d/}}, {{IPA|/ɡ/}}, and sometimes {{IPA|/ʝ/}}—which alternate between [[Approximant consonant|approximant]] and [[plosive]] allophones depending on the environment; and (5) a phonemic distinction between the "[[Flap consonant|tapped]]" and "[[Trill consonant|trilled]]" ''r''-sounds (single {{angle bracket|r}} and double {{angle bracket|rr}} in orthography).

In the following table of consonant phonemes, {{IPA|/ʎ/}} is marked with an asterisk (*) to indicate that it is preserved only in some dialects. In most dialects it has been merged with {{IPA|/ʝ/}} in the merger called {{lang|es|[[yeísmo]]}}. Similarly, {{IPA|/θ/}} is also marked with an asterisk to indicate that most dialects do not distinguish it from {{IPA|/s/}} (see {{lang|es|[[seseo]]}}), although this is not a true merger but an outcome of different evolution of sibilants in southern Spain.

The phoneme {{IPA|/ʃ/}} is in parentheses () to indicate that it appears only in [[loanwords]]. Each of the voiced obstruent phonemes {{IPA|/b/}}, {{IPA|/d/}}, {{IPA|/ʝ/}}, and {{IPA|/ɡ/}} appears to the right of a ''pair'' of voiceless phonemes, to indicate that, while the ''voiceless'' phonemes maintain a phonemic contrast between plosive (or affricate) and fricative, the ''voiced'' ones alternate [[Allophone|allophonically]] (i.e. without phonemic contrast) between plosive and approximant pronunciations.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align: center;"
|+ Consonant phonemes<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Martínez-Celdrán|Fernández-Planas|Carrera-Sabaté|2003|p=255}}</ref>
|-
!
! colspan=2 | [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan=2 | [[Dental consonant|Dental]]
! colspan=2 | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! colspan=2 | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan=2 | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
|-
! [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| style="border-right:0; width:25px;"| || style="border-left:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|m}}
| colspan=2 |
| style="border-right:0; width:25px;"| || style="border-left:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|n}}
| style="border-right:0; width:25px;"| || style="border-left:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|ɲ}}
| colspan=2 |
|-
! [[Stop consonant|Stop]]
| style="border-right:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|p}}||rowspan=2 style="border-left: 0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|b}}
| style="border-right:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|t̪|t}}|| rowspan="2" style="border-left:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|d̪|d}} 
| style="border-right:0; width:25px;"| || rowspan="2" style="border-left:0; width:25px;"| 
| style="border-right:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|tʃ}}|| rowspan="2" style="border-left:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|ʝ}}
| style="border-right:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|k}}|| rowspan="2" style="border-left:0; width:25px;"|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|-
! [[Continuant]]
|style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|f}}
|style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|θ}}*
|style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|s}}
|style="border-right: 0;"|({{IPA link|ʃ}})
|style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|x}}
|-
! [[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
|style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|l}}
|style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|ʎ}}*
| colspan=2 |
|-
! [[Flap consonant|Flap]]
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
|style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|ɾ}}
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
|-
! [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
|style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|r}}
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
|}

=== Prosody ===
Spanish is classified by its [[Isochrony|rhythm]] as a [[isochrony#syllable timing|syllable-timed language]]: each syllable has approximately the same duration regardless of stress.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Cressey|1978|p=152}}</ref><ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Abercrombie|1967|p=98}}</ref>

Spanish [[intonation (linguistics)|intonation]] varies significantly according to dialect but generally conforms to a pattern of falling tone for declarative sentences and wh-questions (who, what, why, etc.) and rising tone for [[Yes–no question|yes/no questions]].<ref>{{cite book |author=John B. Dabor |title=Spanish Pronunciation: Theory and Practice |edition=3rd |publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston |year=1997 |chapter=Ch. 7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.auburn.edu/academic/liberal_arts/foreign/Spanish/FLSP0501/dalvofile.html |title=John B. Dalbor's Voice Files to Accompany ''Spanish Pronunciation'' |publisher=Auburn.edu |access-date=20 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308071525/http://www.auburn.edu/academic/liberal_arts/foreign/Spanish/FLSP0501/dalvofile.html |archive-date=8 March 2012}}</ref> There are no syntactic markers to distinguish between questions and statements and thus, the recognition of declarative or interrogative depends entirely on intonation.

Stress most often occurs on any of the last three syllables of a word, with some rare exceptions at the fourth-to-last or earlier syllables. Stress tends to occur as follows:<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Eddington|2000|p=96}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=January 2021}}
* in words that end with a [[monophthong]], on the penultimate syllable
* when the word ends in a [[diphthong]], on the final syllable.
* in words that end with a consonant, on the last syllable, with the exception of two grammatical endings: {{lang|es|-n}}, for third-person-plural of verbs, and {{lang|es|-s}}, for plural of nouns and adjectives or for second-person-singular of verbs. However, even though a significant number of nouns and adjectives ending with {{lang|es|-n}} are also stressed on the penult ({{lang|es|joven}}, {{lang|es|virgen}}, {{lang|es|mitin}}), the great majority of nouns and adjectives ending with {{lang|es|-n}} are stressed on their last syllable ({{lang|es|capitán}}, {{lang|es|almacén}}, {{lang|es|jardín}}, {{lang|es|corazón}}).
* Preantepenultimate stress (stress on the fourth-to-last syllable) occurs rarely, only on verbs with [[clitic]] pronouns attached (e.g. {{lang|es|guardándoselos}} 'saving them for him/her/them/you').

In addition to the many exceptions to these tendencies, there are numerous [[minimal pair]]s that contrast solely on stress such as {{lang|es|sábana}} ('sheet') and {{lang|es|sabana}} ('savannah'); {{lang|es|límite}} ('boundary'), {{lang|es|limite}} ('he/she limits') and {{lang|es|limité}} ('I limited'); {{lang|es|líquido}} ('liquid'), {{lang|es|liquido}} ('I sell off') and {{lang|es|liquidó}} ('he/she sold off').

The orthographic system unambiguously reflects where the stress occurs: in the absence of an accent mark, the stress falls on the last syllable unless the last letter is {{angle bracket|n}}, {{angle bracket|s}}, or a vowel, in which cases the stress falls on the next-to-last (penultimate) syllable. Exceptions to those rules are indicated by an acute accent mark over the vowel of the stressed syllable. (See [[Spanish orthography]].)

== Speaker population ==

Spanish is the official, or national language in [[Hispanic America|18 countries and one territory in the Americas]], [[Spain]], and [[Equatorial Guinea]]. With a population of over 410 million, [[Spanish language in the Americas|Hispanophone America]] accounts for the vast majority of Spanish speakers, of which [[Mexico]] is the most populous Spanish-speaking country. In the [[European Union]], Spanish is the [[First language|mother tongue]] of 8% of the population, with an additional 7% speaking it as a second language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf |title=Europeans and their Languages |access-date=2 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106183351/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf |archive-date=6 January 2016}}</ref> Additionally, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the [[United States]] and is by far the most popular foreign language among students.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0905275.html |title=Most Studied Foreign Languages in the U.S |publisher=Infoplease.com |access-date=20 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814042126/http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0905275.html |archive-date=14 August 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, it was estimated that over 50 million Americans spoke Spanish, about 41 million of whom were native speakers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country|title=US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain – only Mexico has more|work=The Guardian|date=29 June 2015|access-date=24 January 2021|archive-date=23 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123045244/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country|url-status=live}}</ref> With continued immigration and increased use of the language domestically in public spheres and media, the number of Spanish speakers in the United States is expected to continue growing over the forthcoming decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2011/demo/2011-Shin-Ortman.html|title=Language Projections: 2010 to 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|website=The United States Census Bureau|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819054204/https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2011/demo/2011-Shin-Ortman.html|archive-date=19 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Dialectal variation ==
[[File:Variedades principales del español.png|thumb|upright=1.35|A world map attempting to identify the main dialects of Spanish]]
{{Main|Spanish dialects and varieties}}
While being mutually intelligible, there are important variations ([[Phonology|phonological]], [[Grammar|grammatical]], and [[Lexicon|lexical]]) in the spoken Spanish of the various regions of Spain and throughout the Spanish-speaking areas of the Americas.

The national variety with the most speakers is [[Mexican Spanish]]. It is spoken by more than twenty percent of the world's Spanish speakers (more than 112&nbsp;million of the total of more than 500&nbsp;million, according to the table above). One of its main features is the [[vowel reduction|reduction]] or loss of [[unstressed vowel]]s, mainly when they are in contact with the sound /s/.<ref>Eleanor Greet Cotton, John M. Sharp (1988) [https://books.google.com/books?id=89KX2RC6Gx0C&dq=Mexican+vowels&pg=PA154 ''Spanish in the Americas, Volume 2''], pp. 154–155, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915115219/https://books.google.com/books?id=89KX2RC6Gx0C&pg=PA154&dq=Mexican+vowels&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=Mexican%20vowels&f=false |date=15 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lope Blanch, Juan M. |year=1972 |chapter=En torno a las vocales caedizas del español mexicano |pages=53–73 |title=Estudios sobre el español de México |publisher=Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México |language=es |url=http://www.filos.unam.mx/LICENCIATURA/Pagina_FyF_2004/introduccion/Lope_Vocales_caedizas.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205011128/http://www.filos.unam.mx/LICENCIATURA/Pagina_FyF_2004/introduccion/Lope_Vocales_caedizas.pdf}}</ref>

In Spain, northern dialects are popularly thought of as closer to the standard, although positive attitudes toward southern dialects have increased significantly in the last 50 years. The speech from the educated classes of Madrid is the standard variety for use on radio and television in Spain and it is indicated by many as the one that has most influenced the written standard for Spanish.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Penny |2000|p=199}}: "whatever might be claimed by other centres, such as Valladolid, it was educated varieties of Madrid Spanish that were mostly regularly reflected in the written standard."</ref> Central (European) Spanish speech patterns have been noted to be in the process of merging with more innovative southern varieties (including Eastern Andalusian and Murcian), as an emerging interdialectal levelled ''koine'' buffered between the Madrid's traditional national standard and the Seville speech trends.<ref>{{Cite journal |first1=Juan Manuel|last1=Hernández Campoy|first2=Juan Andrés |last2=Villena Ponsoda |title=Standardness and nonstandardness in Spain: dialect attrition and revitalization of regional dialects of Spanish |journal=International Journal of the Sociology of Language|year=2009 |doi=10.1515/IJSL.2009.021 |issue=196–197 |pages=185–186 |s2cid=145000590 |url=https://www.academia.edu/30322624 |access-date=24 January 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=24 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124040200/https://www.academia.edu/30322624/Standardness_and_nonstandardness_in_Spain_dialect_attrition_and_revitalization_of_regional_dialects_of_Spanish}}</ref>

=== Phonology ===
{{See also|Phonetic change "f → h" in Spanish}}
The four main phonological divisions are based respectively on (1) the phoneme {{IPAslink|θ}}, (2) the [[debuccalization]] of syllable-final {{IPA|/s/}}, (3) the sound of the spelled {{angle bracket|s}}, (4) and the phoneme {{IPAslink|ʎ}}.
* The phoneme {{IPA|/θ/}} (spelled {{lang|es|c}} before {{lang|es|e}} or {{lang|es|i}} and spelled {{angle bracket|z}} elsewhere), a [[voiceless dental fricative]] as in English '''''th'''ing'', is maintained by a majority of Spain's population, especially in the northern and central parts of the country. In other areas (some parts of southern Spain, the [[Canary Islands]], and the Americas), {{IPA|/θ/}} does not exist and {{IPA|/s/}} occurs instead. The maintenance of phonemic contrast is called {{lang|es|[[distinción]]}} in Spanish, while the merger is generally called {{lang|es|[[seseo]]}} (in reference to the usual realization of the merged phoneme as {{IPA|[s]}}) or, occasionally, {{lang|es|[[ceceo]]}} (referring to its interdental realization, {{IPA|[θ]}}, in some parts of southern Spain). In most of Hispanic America, the spelled {{angle bracket|c}} before {{angle bracket|e}} or {{angle bracket|i}}, and spelled {{angle bracket|z}} is always pronounced as a [[Voiceless alveolar sibilant#Dentalized laminal alveolar|voiceless dental sibilant]].
* The debuccalization (pronunciation as {{IPA|[h]}}, or loss) of syllable-final {{IPA|/s/}} is associated with the southern half of Spain and lowland Americas: Central America (except central Costa Rica and Guatemala), the Caribbean, coastal areas of southern Mexico, and South America except Andean highlands. Debuccalization is frequently called "aspiration" in English, and {{lang|es|aspiración}} in Spanish. When there is no debuccalization, the syllable-final {{IPA|/s/}} is pronounced as [[Voiceless alveolar sibilant#Retracted alveolar|voiceless "apico-alveolar" sibilant]] or as a [[Voiceless alveolar sibilant#Dentalized laminal alveolar|voiceless dental sibilant]] in the same fashion as in the next paragraph.
* The sound that corresponds to the letter {{angle bracket|s}} is pronounced in northern and central Spain as a [[Voiceless alveolar sibilant#Retracted alveolar|voiceless "apico-alveolar" sibilant]] {{IPA|[s̺]}} (also described acoustically as "[[Grave and acute|grave]]" and articulatorily as "retracted"), with a weak "hushing" sound reminiscent of {{lcons|retroflex}} fricatives. In [[Andalusia]], [[Canary Islands]] and most of Hispanic America (except in the [[Colombian Spanish#Paisa dialect|Paisa region]] of Colombia) it is pronounced as a [[Voiceless alveolar sibilant#Dentalized laminal alveolar|voiceless dental sibilant]] {{IPA|[s]}}, much like the most frequent pronunciation of the /s/ of English. 
* The phoneme {{IPA|/ʎ/}}, spelled {{angle bracket|ll}}, a [[Palatal lateral approximant|palatal lateral]] consonant that can be approximated by the sound of the {{angle bracket|lli}} of English ''million'', tends to be maintained in less-urbanized areas of northern Spain and in the [[Andean Spanish|highland areas of South America]], as well as in [[Paraguayan Spanish|Paraguay]] and [[Bolivian Spanish#Dialects|lowland Bolivia]]. Meanwhile, in the speech of most other Spanish speakers, it is merged with {{IPA|/ʝ/}} ("curly-tail ''j''"), a non-lateral, usually voiced, usually fricative, palatal consonant, sometimes compared to English {{IPA|/j/}} (''yod'') as in '''''y'''acht'' and spelled {{angle bracket|y}} in Spanish. As with other forms of allophony across world languages, the small difference of the spelled {{angle bracket|ll}} and the spelled {{angle bracket|y}} is usually not perceived (the difference is not heard) by people who do not produce them as different phonemes. Such a phonemic merger is called {{lang|es|[[yeísmo]]}} in Spanish. In [[Rioplatense Spanish]], the merged phoneme is generally pronounced as a postalveolar fricative, either voiced {{IPA|[ʒ]}} (as in English ''measure'' or the French {{angle bracket|j}}) in the central and western parts of the dialectal region ({{lang|es|zheísmo}}), or voiceless {{IPA|[ʃ]}} (as in the French {{angle bracket|ch}} or Portuguese {{angle bracket|x}}) in and around Buenos Aires and Montevideo ({{lang|es|sheísmo}}).<ref>Charles B. Chang, [http://www.lingref.com/cpp/wss/4/paper1755.pdf "Variation in palatal production in Buenos Aires Spanish"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213655/http://www.lingref.com/cpp/wss/4/paper1755.pdf |date=4 October 2013}}. Selected Proceedings of the 4th Workshop on Spanish Sociolinguistics, ed. Maurice Westmoreland and Juan Antonio Thomas, 54–63. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, 2008.</ref>

=== Morphology ===
The main [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphological]] variations between dialects of Spanish involve differing uses of pronouns, especially those of the second [[Grammatical person|person]] and, to a lesser extent, the [[object pronoun]]s of the third [[Grammatical person|person]].

==== Voseo ====
{{Main|Voseo}}
[[File:Voseo-extension-real.PNG|thumb|An examination of the dominance and stress of the {{lang|es|voseo}} feature in Hispanic America. Data generated as illustrated by the [[Association of Spanish Language Academies]]. The darker the area, the stronger its dominance.]]

Virtually all dialects of Spanish make the [[T–V distinction|distinction]] between a formal and a familiar [[register (sociolinguistics)|register]] in the [[Grammatical person|second-person]] [[Grammatical number|singular]] and thus have two different [[pronoun]]s meaning "you": {{lang|es|usted}} in the formal and either {{lang|es|tú}} or {{lang|es|vos}} in the familiar (and each of these three pronouns has its associated verb forms), with the choice of {{lang|es|tú}} or {{lang|es|vos}} varying from one dialect to another. The use of {{lang|es|vos}} and its verb forms is called {{lang|es|[[voseo]]}}. In a few dialects, all three pronouns are used, with {{lang|es|usted}}, {{lang|es|tú}}, and {{lang|es|vos}} denoting respectively formality, familiarity, and intimacy.<ref name="rae.es site">{{cite web |date=2023-06-11 |orig-date=October 2005 |url=http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/ |title=Diccionario panhispánico de dudas|trans-title=Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts |publisher=Real Academia Española y Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española [Royal Spanish Academy and Association of Academies of the Spanish Language] |language=es |access-date=2023-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305022017/http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/ |archive-date=5 March 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In {{lang|es|voseo}}, {{lang|es|vos}} is the [[Subject (grammar)|subject]] form ({{lang|es|vos decís}}, "you say") and the form for the object of a [[Preposition and postposition|preposition]] ({{lang|es|voy con vos}}, "I am going with you"), while the direct and indirect [[Object (grammar)|object]] forms, and the [[Possessive adjective|possessives]], are the same as those associated with {{lang|es|tú}}: {{lang|es|Vos sabés que tus amigos te respetan}} ("You know your friends respect you").

The verb forms of the general {{lang|es|voseo}} are the same as those used with {{lang|es|tú}} except in the present [[grammatical tense|tense]] ([[indicative]] and [[imperative mood|imperative]]) verbs. The forms for {{lang|es|vos}} generally can be derived from those of {{lang|es|vosotros}} (the traditional second-person familiar ''plural'') by deleting the [[semivowel|glide]] {{IPA|[i̯]}}, or {{IPA|/d/}}, where it appears in the ending: {{lang|es|vosotros pensá'''i'''s}} > {{lang|es|vos pensás}}; {{lang|es|vosotros volvé'''i'''s}} > {{lang|es|vos volvés}}, {{lang|es|pensa'''d'''!}} ({{lang|es|vosotros}}) > {{lang|es|pensá!}} ({{lang|es|vos}}), {{lang|es|volve'''d'''!}} ({{lang|es|vosotros}}) > {{lang|es|volvé!}} ({{lang|es|vos}}).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rae.es/dpd/voseo |title=Voseo según DPD |language=es |access-date=27 January 2022 |archive-date=4 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104222442/http://www.rae.es/dpd/?key=voseo |url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ General voseo <small>([[Rioplatense Spanish|River Plate Spanish]])</small>
! colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Subjunctive
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Imperative
|-
! Present
! Simple past
! Imperfect past
! Future
! Conditional
! Present
! Past
|-
| {{lang|es|pensás}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensaste'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensabas'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensarás'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensarías'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''pienses'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensaras'''}}<br />{{lang|es|'''pensases'''}}
| {{lang|es|pensá}}
|-
| {{lang|es|volvés}}
| {{lang|es|'''volviste'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''volvías'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''volverás'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''volverías'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''vuelvas'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''volvieras'''}}<br />{{lang|es|'''volvieses'''}}
| {{lang|es|volvé}}
|-
| {{lang|es|dormís}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormiste'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormías'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormirás'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormirías'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''duermas'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''durmieras'''}}<br />{{lang|es|'''durmieses'''}}
| {{lang|es|dormí}}
|-
| colspan=8|<small>The forms in '''''bold''''' coincide with standard '''''tú'''-conjugation''.</small>
|}

In Central American {{lang|es|voseo}}, the {{lang|es|tú}} and {{lang|es|vos}} forms differ in the present subjunctive as well:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Central American voseo
! colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|Indicative
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Subjunctive
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Imperative
|-
! Present
! Simple past
! Imperfect past
! Future
! Conditional
! Present
! Past
|-
| {{lang|es|pensás}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensaste'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensabas'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensarás'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensarías'''}}
| {{lang|es|pensés}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensaras'''}}<br />{{lang|es|'''pensases'''}}
| {{lang|es|pensá}}
|-
| {{lang|es|volvés}}
| {{lang|es|'''volviste'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''volvías'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''volverás'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''volverías'''}}
| {{lang|es|volvás}}
| {{lang|es|'''volvieras'''}}<br />{{lang|es|'''volvieses'''}}
| {{lang|es|volvé}}
|-
| {{lang|es|dormís}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormiste'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormías'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormirás'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormirías'''}}
| {{lang|es|durmás}}
| {{lang|es|'''durmieras'''}}<br />{{lang|es|'''durmieses'''}}
| {{lang|es|dormí}}
|-
| colspan=8|<small>The forms in '''''bold''''' coincide with standard '''''tú'''-conjugation''.</small>
|}
In Chilean {{lang|es|voseo}}, almost all {{lang|es|vos}} forms are distinct from the corresponding standard {{lang|es|tú}}-forms.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Chilean voseo
! colspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |Indicative
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Subjunctive
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Imperative
|-
! Present
! Simple past
! Imperfect past
! Future<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baquero Velásquez |first1=Julia M. |last2=Westphal Montt |first2=Germán F. |year=2014 |title=Un análisis sincrónico del voseo verbal chileno y rioplatense |journal=Forma y Función |language=es |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=11–40 |doi=10.15446/fyf.v27n2.47558 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
! Conditional
! Present
! Past
|-
| {{lang|es|pensái(s)}}
| {{lang|es|'''pensaste'''}}
| {{lang|es|pensabais}}
| {{lang|es|pensarí(s)}}<br>{{lang|es|pensaráis}}
| {{lang|es|pensaríai(s)}}
| {{lang|es|pensí(s)}}
| {{lang|es|pensarai(s)}}<br />{{lang|es|'''pensases'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''piensa'''}}
|-
| {{lang|es|volví(s)}}
| {{lang|es|'''volviste'''}}
| {{lang|es|volvíai(s)}}
| {{lang|es|volverí(s)}}<br>{{lang|es|volveráis}}
| {{lang|es|volveríai(s)}}
| {{lang|es|volvái(s)}}
| {{lang|es|volvierai(s)}}<br />{{lang|es|'''volvieses'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''vuelve'''}}
|-
| {{lang|es|dormís}}
| {{lang|es|'''dormiste'''}}
| {{lang|es|dormíais}}
| {{lang|es|dormirís}}<br>{{lang|es|dormiráis}}
| {{lang|es|dormiríais}}
| {{lang|es|durmáis}}
| {{lang|es|durmierais}}<br />{{lang|es|'''durmieses'''}}
| {{lang|es|'''duerme'''}}
|-
| colspan="8" |<small>The forms in '''''bold''''' coincide with standard '''''tú'''-conjugation''.</small>
|}

The use of the pronoun {{lang|es|vos}} with the verb forms of {{lang|es|tú}} ({{lang|es|vos piensas}}) is called "pronominal {{lang|es|voseo}}". Conversely, the use of the verb forms of {{lang|es|vos}} with the pronoun {{lang|es|tú}} ({{lang|es|tú pensás}} or {{lang|es|tú pensái}}) is called "verbal {{lang|es|voseo}}". In Chile, for example, verbal ''voseo'' is much more common than the actual use of the pronoun ''vos'', which is usually reserved for highly informal situations.

===== Distribution in Spanish-speaking regions of the Americas =====
Although {{lang|es|vos}} is not used in Spain, it occurs in many Spanish-speaking regions of the Americas as the primary spoken form of the second-person singular familiar pronoun, with wide differences in social consideration.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Andrew|date=10 April 2018|title=A Brief Guide to Regional Variation of the Forms of Address (Tú, Vos, Usted) in Spanish|url=https://howlearnspanish.com/forms-of-address-guide/|access-date=2 November 2020|website=Learn Spanish with Andrew|language=en-US|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032144/https://howlearnspanish.com/forms-of-address-guide/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2020}} Generally, it can be said that there are zones of exclusive use of {{lang|es|tuteo}} (the use of {{lang|es|tú}}) in the following areas: almost all of [[Mexico]], the [[West Indies]], [[Panama]], most of [[Colombia]], [[Peru]], [[Venezuela]] and coastal [[Ecuador]].

{{lang|es|Tuteo}} as a cultured form alternates with {{lang|es|voseo}} as a popular or rural form in [[Bolivia]], in the north and south of Peru, in Andean Ecuador, in small zones of the Venezuelan Andes (and most notably in the Venezuelan state of [[Zulia]]), and in a large part of Colombia. Some researchers maintain that {{lang|es|voseo}} can be heard in some parts of eastern Cuba, and others assert that it is absent from the island.<ref>Katia Salamanca de Abreu, [http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/thesaurus/pdf/28/TH_28_001_138_0.pdf review of Humberto López Morales, ''Estudios sobre el español de Cuba''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221132209/http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/thesaurus/pdf/28/TH_28_001_138_0.pdf |date=21 December 2012}} (New York: Editorial Las Américas, 1970), in ''Thesaurus'', 28 (1973), 138–146.</ref>

{{lang|es|Tuteo}} exists as the second-person usage with an intermediate degree of formality alongside the more familiar {{lang|es|voseo}} in [[Chile]], in the Venezuelan state of [[Zulia]], on the Caribbean coast of [[Colombia]], in the [[Azuero Peninsula]] in Panama, in the Mexican state of [[Chiapas]], and in parts of Guatemala.

Areas of generalized {{lang|es|voseo}} include [[Argentina]], [[Nicaragua]], eastern [[Bolivia]], [[El Salvador]], [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Paraguay]], [[Uruguay]] and the Colombian departments of [[Antioquia Department|Antioquia]], [[Caldas Department|Caldas]], [[Risaralda Department|Risaralda]], [[Quindio]] and [[Valle del Cauca]].<ref name="rae.es site" />

==== Ustedes ====

{{lang|es|Ustedes}} functions as formal and informal second-person plural in all of Hispanic America, the [[Canary Islands]], and parts of [[Andalusia]]. It agrees with verbs in the 3rd person plural. Most of Spain maintains the [[T-V distinction|formal/familiar distinction]] with {{lang|es|ustedes}} and {{lang|es|vosotros}} respectively. The use of {{lang|es|ustedes}} with the second person plural is sometimes heard in Andalusia, but it is non-standard.

==== Usted ====
{{lang|es|Usted}} is the usual second-person singular pronoun in a formal context, but it is used jointly with the third-person singular voice of the verb. It is used to convey respect toward someone who is a generation older or is of higher authority ("you, sir"/"you, ma'am"). It is also used in a ''familiar'' context by many speakers in Colombia and Costa Rica and in parts of Ecuador and Panama, to the exclusion of {{lang|es|tú}} or {{lang|es|vos}}. This usage is sometimes called ''{{ill|ustedeo|es}}'' in Spanish.

In Central America, especially in Honduras, {{lang|es|usted}} is often used as a formal pronoun to convey respect between the members of a romantic couple. {{lang|es|Usted}} is also used that way between parents and children in the Andean regions of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.

==== Third-person object pronouns ====
Most speakers use (and the {{lang|es|[[Real Academia Española]]}} prefers) the pronouns {{lang|es|lo}} and {{lang|es|la}} for [[Object (grammar)|direct objects]] (masculine and feminine respectively, regardless of [[animacy]], meaning "him", "her", or "it"), and {{lang|es|le}} for [[Object (grammar)|indirect objects]] (regardless of [[Grammatical gender|gender]] or [[animacy]], meaning "to him", "to her", or "to it"). The usage is sometimes called "etymological", as these direct and indirect object pronouns are a continuation, respectively, of the [[Accusative case|accusative]] and [[Dative case|dative]] pronouns of Latin, the ancestor language of Spanish.

A number of dialects (more common in Spain than in the Americas) use additional rules for the pronouns, such as animacy, or [[count noun]] vs. [[mass noun]], rather than just direct vs. indirect object. The ways of using the pronouns in such varieties are called "{{lang|es|[[leísmo]]}}", "{{lang|es|[[loísmo]]}}", or "{{lang|es|[[laísmo]]}}", according to which respective pronoun, {{lang|es|le}}, {{lang|es|lo}}, or {{lang|es|la}}, covers more than just the etymological usage ({{lang|es|le}} as a direct object, or {{lang|es|lo}} or {{lang|es|la}} as an indirect object).

=== Vocabulary ===
Some words can be significantly different in different Hispanophone countries. Most Spanish speakers can recognize other Spanish forms even in places where they are not commonly used, but Spaniards generally do not recognize specifically American usages. For example, Spanish {{lang|es|mantequilla}}, {{lang|es|aguacate}} and {{lang|es|albaricoque}} (respectively, 'butter', 'avocado', 'apricot') correspond to {{lang|es|manteca}} (word used for [[lard]] in [[Peninsular Spanish]]), {{lang|es|palta}}, and {{lang|es|damasco}}, respectively, in Argentina, Chile (except {{lang|es|manteca}}), Paraguay, Peru (except {{lang|es|manteca}} and {{lang|es|damasco}}), and Uruguay. In the healthcare context, an assessment of the Spanish translation of the [[Quality of well-being scale|QWB-SA]] identified some regional vocabulary choices and US-specific concepts, which cannot be successfully implemented in Spain without adaptation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Congost-Maestre |first=Nereida |url=https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/language-survey-research |title=Sociocultural issues in adapting Spanish health survey translation: The case of the QWB-SA (Chapter 10) in The Essential Role of Language in Survey Research |date=2020-04-30 |publisher=RTI Press |isbn=978-1-934831-24-3 |editor-last=Sha |editor-first=Mandy |pages=203–220 |doi=10.3768/rtipress.bk.0023.2004 |doi-access=free |access-date=13 December 2023 |archive-date=11 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211122733/https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/language-survey-research |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Vocabulary ==
Spanish vocabulary has been influenced by several languages. As in other European languages, [[Classical Greek]] words (Hellenisms) are abundant in the terminologies of several fields, including art, science, politics, nature, etc.<ref>Bergua Cavero, J., ''Los helenismos del español : historia y sistema'', Madrid (Gredos) 2004, {{ISBN|9788424927103}}</ref> Its vocabulary has also been [[Influence of Arabic on Spanish|influenced by Arabic]], having developed during the [[Al-Andalus]] era in the [[Iberian Peninsula]], with around 8% of its vocabulary having [[Arabic language|Arabic]] lexical roots.<ref>{{cite book|last=Versteegh |first=Kees |title=The Arabic language|year=2003 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |location=Edinburgh|isbn=0-7486-1436-2|page=228 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OHfse3YY6NAC&pg=PA228|edition=Repr.|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626183745/http://books.google.com/books?id=OHfse3YY6NAC&pg=PA228|archive-date=26 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Lapesa |first=Raphael|title=Historia de la lengua española|year=1960|publisher=|location=<!--Madrid-->|page=97}}<br/>—OR—<br/>{{cite book |last=Castro |first=Américo |title=The Spaniards: An Introduction to Their History |year=1985 |translator1=Willard F. King |translator2=Selma Margaretten |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-05469-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uJdbJK_sl2oC&pg=PA255 |access-date=23 October 2016 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124185157/https://books.google.com/books?id=uJdbJK_sl2oC&pg=PA255 |url-status=live}}{{verify source|date=November 2023|reason=Which one? The original cite was mixed}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Quintana|first1=Lucía |last2=Mora |first2=Juan Pablo |title=Enseñanza del acervo léxico árabe de la lengua española |journal=ASELE. Actas XIII|year=2002 |page=705 |url=http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/asele/pdf/13/13_0697.pdf |access-date=23 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528020256/http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/asele/pdf/13/13_0697.pdf|archive-date=28 May 2016|url-status=live}}: "El léxico español de procedencia árabe es muy abundante: se ha señalado que constituye, aproximadamente, un 8% del vocabulario total"</ref><ref name="Dworkin83">{{cite book |last=Dworkin|first=Steven N.|title=A History of the Spanish Lexicon: A Linguistic Perspective|year=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-954114-0|page=83 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4f8ZpJAhgIC&pg=PA83|access-date=17 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915153824/https://books.google.com/books?id=V4f8ZpJAhgIC&pg=PA83 |archive-date=15 September 2015|url-status=live}},{{cite book|last=Macpherson|first=I. R.|title=Spanish phonology |year=1980|publisher=Manchester University Press|location=Manchester|isbn=0-7190-0788-7|page=93 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VrpAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA93|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223094503/https://books.google.com/books?id=9VrpAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA93 |archive-date=23 December 2016|url-status=live}},{{cite book |last=Martínez Egido|first=José Joaquín |title=Constitución del léxico español|year=2007 |page=15|publisher=Liceus, Servicios de Gestió |isbn=978-84-9822-653-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cbVIY4qAA9cC&pg=PA15|access-date=23 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626183748/http://books.google.com/books?id=cbVIY4qAA9cC&pg=PA15|archive-date=26 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> It may have also been influenced by [[Basque language|Basque]], [[Iberian language|Iberian]], [[Celtiberian language|Celtiberian]], [[Gothic language|Visigothic]], and other neighboring Ibero-Romance languages.<ref>{{cite web|title=La época visigoda / Susana Rodríguez Rosique |publisher=Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes |website=www.cervantesvirtual.com |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/la-poca-visigoda-0/html/00f49212-82b2-11df-acc7-002185ce6064_2.html|language=es|access-date=7 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208133217/http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/la-poca-visigoda-0/html/00f49212-82b2-11df-acc7-002185ce6064_2.html|archive-date=8 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Dworkin83" /> Additionally, it has absorbed vocabulary from other languages, particularly other Romance languages such as [[French language|French]], [[Mozarabic language|Mozarabic]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Occitan language|Occitan]], and [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]], as well as from [[Quechua language|Quechua]], [[Nahuatl language|Nahuatl]], and [[List of Spanish words of Indigenous American Indian origin|other indigenous languages of the Americas]].<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Penny|1991|pp=224–236}}</ref> In the 18th century, words taken from French referring above all to fashion, cooking and bureaucracy were added to the Spanish lexicon. In the 19th century, new loanwords were incorporated, especially from English and German, but also from Italian in areas related to music, particularly opera and cooking. In the 20th century, the pressure of English in the fields of technology, computing, science and sports was greatly accentuated.

In general, [[Hispanic America]] is more susceptible to loanwords from English or Anglicisms. For example: [[Computer mouse|mouse]] (computer mouse) is used in Hispanic America, in [[Spain]] ''ratón'' is used. This happens largely due to closer contact with the [[United States]]. For its part, Spain is known by the use of Gallicisms or words taken from neighboring [[France]] (such as the Gallicism ''ordenador'' in European Spanish, in contrast to the Anglicism ''computador'' or ''computadora'' in American Spanish).

== Relation to other languages ==
{{further|Comparison of Portuguese and Spanish}}
Spanish is closely related to the other [[West Iberian languages|West Iberian Romance languages]], including [[Asturian language|Asturian]], [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]], [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Ladino language|Ladino]], [[Leonese language|Leonese]], [[Mirandese language|Mirandese]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]. It is somewhat less similar, to varying degrees, from other members of the [[Romance language]] family.

It is generally acknowledged that Portuguese and Spanish speakers can communicate in written form, with varying degrees of mutual intelligibility.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Jensen|1989}}</ref><ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Penny|2000|p=14}}</ref><ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Dalby|1998|p=501}}</ref><ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Ginsburgh|Weber|2011|p=90}}</ref> [[Mutual intelligibility]] of the ''written'' Spanish and Portuguese languages is high, lexically and grammatically. ''[[Ethnologue]]'' gives estimates of the [[lexical similarity]] between related languages in terms of precise percentages. For Spanish and Portuguese, that figure is 89%, although phonologically the two languages are quite dissimilar. Italian on the other hand, is phonologically similar to Spanish, while sharing lower lexical and grammatical similarity of 82%. Mutual intelligibility between Spanish and [[French language|French]] or between Spanish and [[Romanian language|Romanian]] is lower still, given lexical similarity ratings of 75% and 71% respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=spa|title=Spanish|work=Ethnologue|access-date=19 April 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115100707/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=spa|archive-date=15 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ezglot.com/most-similar-languages.php?l=spa|title=Similar languages to Spanish|work=EZGlot|access-date=24 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621191245/http://www.ezglot.com/most-similar-languages.php?l=spa|archive-date=21 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Comprehension of Spanish by French speakers who have not studied the language is much lower, at an estimated 45%. In general, thanks to the common features of the writing systems of the Romance languages, interlingual comprehension of the written word is greater than that of oral communication.

The following table compares the forms of some common words in several Romance languages:
<div style="overflow:auto;">
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! [[Latin]]
! Spanish
! [[Galician language|Galician]]
! [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
! [[Astur-Leonese linguistic group|Astur-Leonese]]
! [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]]
! [[Catalan language|Catalan]]
! [[French language|French]]
! [[Italian language|Italian]]
! [[Romanian language|Romanian]]
! [[English language|English]]
|-
| {{lang|la|{{smallcaps|nōs (alterōs)}}|italic=no}}<sup>1,2</sup><br />"we (others)"
| {{lang|es|'''nosotros'''}}
| {{lang|gl|'''nós''', '''nosoutros'''}}<sup>3</sup>
| {{lang|pt|nós,  nós outros}}<sup>3</sup>
| {{lang|ast|'''nós'''}}, {{lang|ast|'''nosotros'''}}
| {{lang|an|'''nusatros'''}}
| {{lang|ca|'''nosaltres'''}}<br />(arch. {{lang|ca|'''nós'''}})
| {{lang|fr|nous}}<sup>4</sup>
| {{lang|it|noi, noialtri}}<sup>5</sup>
| {{lang|ro|noi}}
| 'we'
|-
| {{lang|la|{{smallcaps|frātre(m) germānu(m)}}|italic=no}}<br />"true brother"
| {{lang|es|'''hermano'''}}
| {{lang|gl|'''irmán'''}}
| {{lang|pt|irmão}}
| {{lang|ast|'''hermanu'''}}
| {{lang|an|'''chirmán'''}}
| {{lang|ca|'''germà'''}}<br />(arch. {{lang|ca|'''frare'''}})<sup>6</sup>
| {{lang|fr|frère}}
| {{lang|it|fratello}}
| {{lang|ro|frate}}
| 'brother'
|-
| {{lang|la|{{smallcaps|die(m)&nbsp;mārtis}}|italic=no}}&nbsp;([[Classical Latin|Classical]])<br />"day of Mars"<br />{{lang|la|{{smallcaps|tertia(m)&nbsp;fēria(m)}}|italic=no}} ([[Late Latin|Late&nbsp;Latin]])<br />"third (holi)day"
| {{lang|es|'''martes'''}}
| {{lang|gl|'''Martes''', '''Terza&nbsp;Feira'''}}
| {{lang|pt|Terça-Feira}}
| {{lang|ast|'''Martes'''}}
| {{lang|an|'''Martes'''}}
| {{lang|ca|'''Dimarts'''}}
| {{lang|fr|Mardi}}
| {{lang|it|Martedì}}
| {{lang|ro|Marți}}
| 'Tuesday'
|-
| {{lang|la|{{smallcaps|cantiōne(m)}}<br />{{smallcaps|canticu(m)}}|italic=no}}
| {{lang|es|'''canción'''}}<sup>7</sup><br />(arch. {{lang|es|'''cançón'''}})
| {{lang|gl|'''canción''', '''cançom'''}}<sup>8</sup>
| {{lang|pt|canção}}
| {{lang|ast|'''canción'''}}<br />(also {{lang|ast|'''canciu'''}})
| {{lang|an|'''canta'''}}
| {{lang|ca|'''cançó'''}}
| {{lang|fr|chanson}}
| {{lang|it|canzone}}
| {{lang|ro|cântec}}
| 'song'
|-
| {{lang|la|{{smallcaps|magis}}|italic=no}}<br />{{lang|la|{{smallcaps|plūs}}|italic=no}}
| {{lang|es|'''más'''}}<br />(arch. {{lang|es|'''plus'''}})
| {{lang|gl|'''máis'''}}
| {{lang|pt|mais}}
| {{lang|ast|'''más'''}}
| {{lang|an|'''más'''}}<br />(also {{lang|an|'''més'''}})
| {{lang|ca|'''més'''}}<br />(arch. {{lang|ca|'''pus'''}} or {{lang|ca|'''plus'''}})
| {{lang|fr|plus}}
| {{lang|it|più}}
| {{lang|ro|mai}}
| 'more'
|-
| {{lang|la|{{smallcaps|manu(m)&nbsp;sinistra(m)}}|italic=no}}
| {{lang|es|'''mano&nbsp;izquierda'''}}<sup>9</sup><br />(arch.&nbsp;{{lang|es|'''mano&nbsp;siniestra'''}})
| {{lang|gl|'''man&nbsp;esquerda'''}}<sup>9</sup>
| {{lang|pt|mão&nbsp;esquerda}}<sup>9</sup><br />(arch.&nbsp;{{lang|pt|mão&nbsp;sẽestra}})
| {{lang|ast|'''manu&nbsp;izquierda'''}}<sup>9</sup><br />(or&nbsp;{{lang|ast|'''esquierda'''}};<br />also {{lang|ast|'''manzorga'''}})
| {{lang|an|'''man&nbsp;cucha'''}}
| {{lang|ca|'''mà&nbsp;esquerra'''}}<sup>9</sup><br />(arch.&nbsp;{{lang|ca|'''mà&nbsp;sinistra'''}})
| {{lang|fr|main&nbsp;gauche}}
| {{lang|it|mano&nbsp;sinistra}}
| {{lang|ro|mâna&nbsp;stângă}}
| 'left&nbsp;hand'
|-
| {{lang|la|{{smallcaps|rēs, rĕm}}|italic=no}}&nbsp;"thing"<br />{{lang|la|{{smallcaps|nūlla(m)&nbsp;rem nāta(m)}}|italic=no}}<br />"no born thing"<br />{{lang|la|{{smallcaps|mīca(m)}}|italic=no}}&nbsp;"crumb"
| {{lang|es|'''nada'''}}
| {{lang|gl|'''nada'''}}<br />(also {{lang|gl|'''ren'''}} and {{lang|gl|'''res'''}})
| {{lang|pt|nada (arch. rés)}}
| {{lang|ast|'''nada'''}}<br />(also {{lang|ast|'''un res'''}})
| {{lang|an|'''cosa'''}}
| {{lang|ca|'''res'''}}
| {{lang|fr|rien, nul}}
| {{lang|it|niente, nulla}}<br />{{lang|it|mica}} (negative particle)
| {{lang|ro|nimic, nul}}
| 'nothing'
|-
| {{lang|la|{{smallcaps|cāseu(m) fōrmāticu(m)}}|italic=no}}<br />"form-cheese"
| {{lang|es|'''queso'''}}
| {{lang|gl|'''queixo'''}}
| {{lang|pt|queijo}}
| {{lang|ast|'''quesu'''}}
| {{lang|an|'''queso'''}}
| {{lang|ca|'''formatge'''}}
| {{lang|fr|fromage}}
| {{lang|it|formaggio/cacio}}
| {{lang|ro|caș}}<sup>10</sup>
| 'cheese'
|}</div>
<small>
1. In Romance etymology, Latin terms are given in the Accusative since most forms derive from this case.<br />
2. As in "us very selves", an emphatic expression.<br />
3. Also {{lang|pt|nós outros}} in early modern Portuguese (e.g. ''[[The Lusiads]]''), and {{lang|gl|nosoutros}} in Galician.<br />
4. Alternatively {{lang|fr|nous autres}} in [[French language|French]].<br />
5. {{lang|it|noialtri}} in many Southern [[List of languages of Italy|Italian dialects and languages]].<br />
6. Medieval Catalan (e.g. ''[[Llibre dels fets]]'').<br />
7. Modified with the learned suffix ''-ción''.<br />
8. Depending on the written norm used (see [[Reintegrationism]]).<br />
9. From [[Basque language|Basque]] ''esku'', "hand" + ''erdi'', "half, incomplete". This negative meaning also applies for Latin ''sinistra(m)'' ("dark, unfortunate").<br />
10. Romanian ''caș'' (from Latin {{smallcaps|cāsevs}}) means a type of cheese. The universal term for cheese in Romanian is ''brânză'' (from unknown etymology).<ref>Often considered to be a substratum word. Other theories suggest, on the basis of what is used to make cheese, a derivation from Latin ''brandeum'' (originally meaning a linen covering, later a thin cloth for relic storage) through an intermediate root *''brandea''. For the development of the meaning, cf. Spanish ''manteca'', Portuguese ''manteiga'', probably from Latin ''mantica'' ('sack'), Italian ''formaggio'' and French ''fromage'' from ''formaticus''. [http://dexonline.ro./definitie/brânză Romanian Explanatory Dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218134722/https://dexonline.ro/definitie/br%C3%A2nz%C4%83 |date=18 February 2020}}</ref>
</small>

=== Judaeo-Spanish ===
{{Further|Judaeo-Spanish}}
[[File:Rashiscript.PNG|thumb|The [[Rashi script]], originally used to print Judaeo-Spanish]]
[[File:Delacroix letter.png|thumb|upright=0.85|An original letter in Haketia, written in 1832]]

Judaeo-Spanish, also known as Ladino,<ref name="Ladino">{{cite web |last=Alfassa |first=Shelomo |title=Ladinokomunita |url=http://www.sephardicstudies.org/quickladino.html |date=December 1999 |publisher=Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture |access-date=4 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402055529/http://www.sephardicstudies.org/quickladino.html |archive-date=2 April 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> is a variety of Spanish which preserves many features of medieval Spanish and some old Portuguese and is spoken by descendants of the [[Sephardi Jews]] who were [[Alhambra decree|expelled from Spain in the 15th century]].<ref name="Ladino" /> While in Portugal the conversion of Jews occurred earlier and the assimilation of [[New Christians]] was overwhelming, in Spain the Jews kept their language and identity. The relationship of Ladino and Spanish is therefore comparable with that of the [[Yiddish language]] to [[German language|German]]. Ladino speakers today are almost exclusively [[Sephardim|Sephardi]] Jews, with family roots in Turkey, Greece, or the Balkans, and living mostly in Israel, Turkey, and the United States, with a few communities in Hispanic America.<ref name="Ladino" /> Judaeo-Spanish lacks the [[Amerindian languages|Native American vocabulary]] which was acquired by standard Spanish during the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish colonial period]], and it retains many archaic features which have since been lost in standard Spanish. It contains, however, other vocabulary which is not found in standard Spanish, including vocabulary from [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], French, Greek and [[Turkish language|Turkish]], and other languages spoken where the Sephardim settled.

Judaeo-Spanish is in serious danger of extinction because many native speakers today are elderly as well as elderly ''olim'' (immigrants to [[Israel]]) who have not transmitted the language to their children or grandchildren. However, it is experiencing a minor revival among Sephardi communities, especially in music. In Hispanic American communities, the danger of extinction is also due to assimilation by modern Spanish.

A related dialect is [[Haketia]], the Judaeo-Spanish of northern [[Morocco]]. This too, tended to assimilate with modern Spanish, during the Spanish occupation of the region.

== Writing system ==
{{Main|Spanish orthography}}
{{Spanish language}}
Spanish is written in the [[Latin script]], with the addition of the character {{angle bracket|[[ñ]]}} ({{lang|es|eñe}}, representing the phoneme {{IPA|/[[Palatal nasal|ɲ]]/}}, a letter distinct from {{angle bracket|n}}, although typographically composed of an {{angle bracket|n}} with a [[tilde]]). Formerly the [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] {{angle bracket|ch}} ({{lang|es|che}}, representing the phoneme {{IPA|/t͡ʃ/}}) and {{angle bracket|ll}} ({{lang|es|elle}}, representing the phoneme {{IPA|/[[Palatal lateral approximant|ʎ]]/}} or {{IPA|/ʝ/}}), were also considered single letters. However, the digraph {{angle bracket|rr}} ({{lang|es|erre fuerte}}, 'strong r', {{lang|es|erre doble}}, 'double r', or simply {{lang|es|erre}}), which also represents a distinct phoneme {{IPA|/r/}}, was not similarly regarded as a single letter. Since 1994 {{angle bracket|ch}} and {{angle bracket|ll}} have been treated as letter pairs for [[collation]] purposes, though they remained a part of the alphabet until 2010. Words with {{angle bracket|ch}} are now alphabetically sorted between those with {{angle bracket|cg}} and {{angle bracket|ci}}, instead of following {{angle bracket|cz}} as they used to. The situation is similar for {{angle bracket|ll}}.<ref>[http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltConsulta?lema=ch Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416180544/http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltConsulta?lema=ch |date=16 April 2008}}, 1st ed.</ref><ref>[http://www.rae.es/ Real Academia Española] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011012019/http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?TIPO_HTML=2&LEMA=cedilla |date=11 October 2017}}, [http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/spanishalphabet.html Explanation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906105503/https://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/spanishalphabet.html |date=6 September 2007}} at [http://www.spanishpronto.com/ Spanish Pronto] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914002335/https://www.spanishpronto.com/ |date=14 September 2007}} {{in lang|es|en}}</ref>

Thus, the Spanish alphabet has the following 27 letters:

:{{lang|es|A, B, C,<!-- ch considered digraph - see next references. --> D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L,<!-- ll considered digraph - see next references. --> M, N, Ñ, O, P, Q, R, <!-- but not rr See previous paragraph. --> S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.}}

Since 2010, none of the digraphs ({{lang|es|ch, ll, rr, gu, qu}}) are considered letters by the Royal Spanish Academy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rae.es/consultas/exclusion-de-ch-y-ll-del-abecedario|title=Exclusión de ch y ll del abecedario &#124; Real Academia Española|website=www.rae.es|access-date=1 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428205219/https://www.rae.es/consultas/exclusion-de-ch-y-ll-del-abecedario|archive-date=28 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

The letters {{lang|es|k}} and {{lang|es|w}} are used only in words and names coming from foreign languages ({{lang|es|kilo, folklore, whisky, kiwi}}, etc.).

With the exclusion of a very small number of regional terms such as {{lang|es|México}} (see [[Toponymy of Mexico#Phonetic evolution|Toponymy of Mexico]]), pronunciation can be entirely determined from spelling. Under the orthographic conventions, a typical Spanish word is stressed on the [[syllable]] before the last if it ends with a vowel (not including {{angle bracket|y}}) or with a vowel followed by {{angle bracket|n}} or an {{angle bracket|s}}; it is stressed on the last syllable otherwise. Exceptions to this rule are indicated by placing an [[acute accent]] on the [[stress (linguistics)|stressed vowel]].

The acute accent is used, in addition, to distinguish between certain [[homophone]]s, especially when one of them is a stressed word and the other one is a [[clitic]]: compare {{lang|es|el}} ('the', masculine singular definite article) with {{lang|es|él}} ('he' or 'it'), or {{lang|es|te}} ('you', object pronoun) with {{lang|es|té}} ('tea'), {{lang|es|de}} (preposition 'of') versus {{lang|es|dé}} ('give' [formal imperative/third-person present subjunctive]), and {{lang|es|se}} (reflexive pronoun) versus {{lang|es|sé}} ('I know' or imperative 'be').

The interrogative pronouns ({{lang|es|qué}}, {{lang|es|cuál}}, {{lang|es|dónde}}, {{lang|es|quién}}, etc.) also receive accents in direct or indirect questions, and some demonstratives ({{lang|es|ése}}, {{lang|es|éste}}, {{lang|es|aquél}}, etc.) can be accented when used as pronouns. Accent marks used to be omitted on capital letters (a widespread practice in the days of [[typewriter]]s and the early days of computers when only lowercase vowels were available with accents), although the {{lang|es|Real Academia Española}} advises against this and the orthographic conventions taught at schools enforce the use of the accent.

When {{lang|es|u}} is written between {{lang|es|g}} and a front vowel {{lang|es|e}} or {{lang|es|i}}, it indicates a "[[Hard and soft G|hard g]]" pronunciation. A [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] {{lang|es|ü}} indicates that it is not silent as it normally would be (e.g., {{lang|es|cigüeña}}, 'stork', is pronounced {{IPA|[θiˈɣweɲa]}}; if it were written *{{lang|es|cigueña}}, it would be pronounced *{{IPA|[θiˈɣeɲa]}}).

Interrogative and exclamatory clauses are introduced with [[inverted question and exclamation marks]] ({{lang|es|¿}} and {{lang|es|¡}}, respectively) and closed by the usual question and exclamation marks.

== Organizations ==
=== Royal Spanish Academy ===
{{main|Royal Spanish Academy}}

The Royal Spanish Academy ({{lang|es|Real Academia Española}}), founded in 1713,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/society/history/1713rae.html |title=Scholarly Societies Project |publisher=Lib.uwaterloo.ca |access-date=6 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923234545/http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/society/history/1713rae.html |archive-date=23 September 2010}}</ref> together with the 21 other national ones (see [[Association of Spanish Language Academies]]), exercises a standardizing influence through its publication of dictionaries and widely respected grammar and style guides.<ref>{{cite book |last=Batchelor|first=Ronald Ernest |title=Using Spanish: a guide to contemporary usage|year=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-26987-3|page=318 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eEWZL1j9ig8C&q=real+academia+espa%C3%B1ola+recognized&pg=PA4|access-date=28 October 2020|archive-date=15 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815154930/https://books.google.com/books?id=eEWZL1j9ig8C&q=real+academia+espa%C3%B1ola+recognized&pg=PA4|url-status=live}}</ref>
Because of influence and for other sociohistorical reasons, a standardized form of the language ([[Standard Spanish]]) is widely acknowledged for use in literature, academic contexts and the media.

=== Association of Spanish Language Academies ===
{{main|Association of Spanish Language Academies}}
[[File:Países con Academia de la Lengua Española.svg|thumb|Member states of the ASALE<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asale.org/ASALE/asale.html |title=Association of Spanish Language Academies |language=es |publisher=Asale |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923155313/http://asale.org/ASALE/asale.html |archive-date=23 September 2010}}</ref>]]
The Association of Spanish Language Academies ({{lang|es|Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española}}, or {{lang|es|ASALE}}) is the entity which regulates the Spanish language. It was created in Mexico in 1951 and represents the union of all the separate academies in the Spanish-speaking world. It comprises the academies of 23 countries, ordered by date of academy foundation: [[Real Academia Española|Spain]] (1713),<ref>{{cite web |title=Real Academia Española |publisher=RAE |location=Spain |url=http://www.rae.es/rae/gestores/gespub000001.nsf/voTodosporId/CEDF300E8D943D3FC12571360037CC94?OpenDocument&i=0 |access-date=6 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929155935/http://www.rae.es/rae/gestores/gespub000001.nsf/voTodosporId/CEDF300E8D943D3FC12571360037CC94?OpenDocument&i=0 |archive-date=29 September 2010}}</ref> [[Academia Colombiana de la Lengua|Colombia]] (1871),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=30202&menu=2 |title=Presentación de la Academia Colombiana de la Lengua |publisher=Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española |language=es |location=Colombia |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219034313/http://asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=30202&menu=2 |archive-date=19 February 2008}}</ref> [[Academia Ecuatoriana de la Lengua|Ecuador]] (1874),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=30302&menu=2 |title=Academia Ecuatoriana de la Lengua |language=es |location=Ecuador |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527091026/http://asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=30302&menu=2 |archive-date=27 May 2011}}</ref> [[Academia Mexicana de la Lengua|Mexico]] (1875),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.academia.org.mx/historia.php |title=Esbozo Histórico de la Academia Mexicana de la Lengua |publisher=Academia Mexicana de la Lengua |location=Mexico |date=22 September 2010 |access-date=6 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915092057/http://academia.org.mx/historia.php |archive-date=15 September 2010 |url-status=dead |language=es}}</ref> [[Academia Salvadoreña de la Lengua|El Salvador]] (1876),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asl.org.sv/Informacion%20institucional.htm |title=Informacion institucional |publisher=Academia Salvadoreña de la Lengua |location=El Salvador |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904125413/http://www.asl.org.sv/Informacion%20institucional.htm |archive-date=4 September 2011 |language=es}}</ref> [[Academia Venezolana de la Lengua|Venezuela]] (1883),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=30602&menu=2 |title=Academia Venezolana de la Lengua |language=es |location=Venezuela |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527090728/http://asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=30602&menu=2 |archive-date=27 May 2011}}</ref> [[Academia Chilena de la Lengua|Chile]] (1885),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.institutodechile.cl/lengua/resena.htm |title=Academia Chilena de la Lengua |location=Chile |access-date=6 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905085434/http://www.institutodechile.cl/lengua/resena.htm |archive-date=5 September 2010}}</ref> [[Academia Peruana de la Lengua|Peru]] (1887),<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.academiaperuanadelalengua.org/academia/historia |title= Academia Peruana de la Lengua |location= Peru |access-date= 6 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101012010318/http://academiaperuanadelalengua.org/academia/historia |archive-date= 12 October 2010 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> [[Academia Guatemalteca de la Lengua|Guatemala]] (1887),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=30902&menu=2 |title=Academia Guatemalteca de la Lengua |language=es |location=Guatemala |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804011930/http://asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=30902&menu=2 |archive-date=4 August 2008}}</ref> [[Academia Costarricense de la Lengua|Costa Rica]] (1923),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acl.ac.cr/i_q.php |title=Academia Costarricense de la Lengua |location=Costa Rica |access-date=6 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323194028/http://www.acl.ac.cr/i_q.php |archive-date=23 March 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española|Philippines]] (1924),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=31102&menu=2 |title=Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española |language=es |publisher=Philippines |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527090616/http://asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=31102&menu=2 |archive-date=27 May 2011}}</ref> [[Academia Panameña de la Lengua|Panama]] (1926),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://apalengua.apalengua.org/historia |title=Academia Panameña de la Lengua |location=Panama |access-date=6 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129171943/http://apalengua.apalengua.org/historia |archive-date=29 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Academia Cubana de la Lengua|Cuba]] (1926),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acul.ohc.cu/ |title=Academia Cubana de la Lengua |location=Cuba |access-date=6 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219083212/http://www.acul.ohc.cu/ |archive-date=19 December 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Academia Paraguaya de la Lengua Española|Paraguay]] (1927),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aparle.org/origenes.asp |title=Academia Paraguaya de la Lengua Española |location=Paraguay |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728150336/http://www.aparle.org/origenes.asp |archive-date=28 July 2011}}</ref> [[Academia Dominicana de la Lengua|Dominican Republic]] (1927),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.academia.org.do/content/blogsection/12/46/ |title=Academia Dominicana de la Lengua |location=República Dominicana |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222161225/http://www.academia.org.do/content/blogsection/12/46/ |archive-date=22 December 2010}}</ref> [[Academia Boliviana de la Lengua|Bolivia]] (1927),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abolen.org/Historia.html |title=Academia Boliviana de la Lengua |location=Bolivia |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129201058/http://www.abolen.org/Historia.html |archive-date=29 November 2010}}</ref> [[Academia Nicaragüense de la Lengua|Nicaragua]] (1928),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=31702&menu=2 |title=Academia Nicaragüense de la Lengua |language=es |publisher=Nicaragua |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527090719/http://asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=31702&menu=2 |archive-date=27 May 2011}}</ref> [[Academia Argentina de Letras|Argentina]] (1931),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.letras.edu.ar/ |title=Academia Argentina de Letras |location=Argentina |date=25 March 2010 |access-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728121808/http://www.letras.edu.ar/ |archive-date=28 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Academia Nacional de Letras, del Uruguay|Uruguay]] (1943),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mec.gub.uy/academiadeletras/MarcoPrincipal.htm |title=Academia Nacional de Letras del Uruguay |location=Uruguay |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319235222/http://www.mec.gub.uy/academiadeletras/MarcoPrincipal.htm |archive-date=19 March 2011}}</ref> [[Academia Hondureña de la Lengua|Honduras]] (1949),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=32002&menu=2 |title=Academia Hondureña de la Lengua |language=es |location=Honduras |access-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527085850/http://asale.org/ASALE/ConAALEBD?IDDOC=32002&menu=2 |archive-date=27 May 2011}}</ref> [[Academia Puertorriqueña de la Lengua Española|Puerto Rico]] (1955),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.academiapr.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=35&Itemid=61 |title=Academia Puertorriqueña de la Lengua Española |location=Puerto Rico |access-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824060727/http://www.academiapr.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=35&Itemid=61 |archive-date=24 August 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[North American Academy of the Spanish Language|United States]] (1973)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anle.us/ |title=Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española |location=United States |access-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212025419/http://anle.us/ |archive-date=12 February 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Academia Ecuatoguineana de la Lengua Española|Equatorial Guinea]] (2016).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asale.org/academias/academia-ecuatoguineana-de-la-lengua-espanola |title=Academia Ecuatoguineana de la Lengua Española |location=Equatorial Guinea |access-date=5 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331073309/http://www.asale.org/academias/academia-ecuatoguineana-de-la-lengua-espanola |archive-date=31 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{clear left}}

=== Cervantes Institute ===
{{main|Instituto Cervantes}}
The {{lang|es|Instituto Cervantes|italic=no}} ('Cervantes Institute') is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. This organization has branches in 45 countries, with 88 centers devoted to the Spanish and Hispanic American cultures and Spanish language.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Información sobre el Instituto Cervantes. Quiénes somos: qué es el Instituto Cervantes |url=https://www.cervantes.es/sobre_instituto_cervantes/informacion.htm |access-date=2022-03-22 |website=www.cervantes.es |archive-date=10 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410222035/https://www.cervantes.es/sobre_instituto_cervantes/informacion.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The goals of the Institute are to promote universally the education, the study, and the use of Spanish as a second language, to support methods and activities that help the process of Spanish-language education, and to contribute to the advancement of the Spanish and Hispanic American cultures in non-Spanish-speaking countries. The institute's 2015 report "El español, una lengua viva" (Spanish, a living language) estimated that there were 559&nbsp;million Spanish speakers worldwide. Its latest annual report "El español en el mundo 2018" (Spanish in the world 2018) counts 577&nbsp;million Spanish speakers worldwide. Among the sources cited in the report is the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], which estimates that the U.S. will have 138&nbsp;million Spanish speakers by 2050, making it the biggest Spanish-speaking nation on earth, with Spanish the mother tongue of almost a third of its citizens.<ref>Stephen Burgen, [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain – only Mexico has more] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123045244/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country |date=23 November 2018}}, US News, 29 June 2015.</ref>

=== Official use by international organizations ===
{{Main list|List of countries where Spanish is an official language#International organizations}}

Spanish is one of the official languages of the [[United Nations]], the [[European Union]], the [[World Trade Organization]], the [[Organization of American States]], the [[Organization of Ibero-American States]], the [[African Union]], the [[Union of South American Nations]], the [[Antarctic Treaty Secretariat]], the [[Latin Union]], the [[Caricom]], the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]], the [[Inter-American Development Bank]], and numerous other international organizations.

{{clear right}}

== Sample text ==
Article 1 of the ''[[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]'' in Spanish:
:{{Lang|es|Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights|website=ohchr.org|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/udhr/pages/Language.aspx?LangID=spn|access-date=8 January 2022|archive-date=8 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108155322/https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=spn|url-status=live}}</ref>

Article 1 of the ''Universal Declaration of Human Rights'' in English:
:''All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights|title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights|newspaper=United Nations |access-date=8 January 2022|archive-date=16 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316050452/https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Language}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}

===Spanish words and phrases===
* [[Café para todos]]
* [[Cuento]]
* [[List of English–Spanish interlingual homographs]]
* [[Longest word in Spanish]]
* [[Most common words in Spanish]]
* [[Olé]]
* [[Olé, Olé, Olé]]
* [[Spanish profanity]]
* [[Spanish proverbs]]
* [[Tertulia]]
* [[Vale un Perú]]

===Spanish-speaking world===
* [[Association of Academies of the Spanish Language]]
* [[List of countries where Spanish is an official language|Countries where Spanish is an official language]]
* [[Hispanic culture]]
* [[Hispanicization]]
* [[Hispanidad]]
* [[Hispanism]]
* [[Hispanophone]]
* [[Fundéu BBVA]]
* [[Instituto Cervantes]]
* [[International Conference of the Spanish Language]]
* [[List of Spanish-language poets]]
* [[Panhispanism]]
* [[Royal Spanish Academy]]
* [[Spanish-language literature]]
* [[Spanish-language music]]
{{col-break}}

===Influences on the Spanish language===
* [[Arabic language influence on the Spanish language]]
* [[List of Spanish words of Germanic origin]]
* [[List of Spanish words of Philippine origin]]

===Dialects and languages influenced by Spanish===
* [[Alemañol]]
* [[Barranquenho]]
* [[Caló language|Caló]]
* [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]]
* [[Chavacano]]
* [[Spanish-based creole languages|Creoles]]
* [[Frespañol]]
* [[Jopara]]
* [[Judaeo-Spanish]]
* [[List of English words of Spanish origin]]
* [[Llanito]]
* [[Media Lengua]]
* [[Palenquero]]
* [[Papiamento]]
* [[Philippine languages]]
* [[Portuñol]]
* [[Spanglish]]
{{col-break}}

===Spanish dialects and varieties===
* [[Spanish dialects and varieties]]
* European Spanish
** [[Peninsular Spanish]]
*** [[Andalusian Spanish]]
**** [[Andalusian language movement]]
*** [[Castilian Spanish]]
*** [[Castrapo]] (Galician Spanish)
*** [[Castúo]] (Extremaduran Spanish)
*** [[Murcian Spanish]]
** [[Canarian Spanish]]
* [[Spanish language in the Americas]]
** [[North American Spanish]]
*** [[Mexican Spanish]]
*** [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish in the United States]]
** [[Central American Spanish]]
** [[Caribbean Spanish]]
** [[Spanish language in South America|South American Spanish]]
*** [[Bolivian Spanish]]
*** [[Chilean Spanish]]
*** [[Colombian Spanish]]
*** [[Ecuadorian Spanish]]
*** [[Paraguayan Spanish]]
*** [[Peruvian Spanish]]
*** [[Uruguayan Spanish]]
*** [[Venezuelan Spanish]]
* Spanish in Africa
** [[Equatoguinean Spanish]]
** [[Saharan Spanish]]
* Spanish in Asia
** [[Spanish language in the Philippines|Spanish in the Philippines]]
{{col-end}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist|30em}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist|23em}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book
|last      = Abercrombie
|first     = David
|year      = 1967
|title     = Elements of General Phonetics
|location  = Edinburgh
|publisher = [[Edinburgh University Press]]
|isbn      = 978-0-85224-451-7
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Eberhard
|first1=David M.
|last2=Simons
|first2=Gary F.
|last3=Fennig
|first3=Charles D.
|title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World
|url=http://www.ethnologue.com
|year=2020
|publisher=SIL International
|location=Dallas, Texas
|edition=23rd
|access-date=22 June 2002
|archive-date=6 April 2006
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060406012854/http://www.ethnologue.com/
|url-status=live
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Butt
|first1=John
|last2=Benjamin
|first2=Carmen
|title=A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish
|url=https://archive.org/details/newreferencegram0000butt
|url-access=registration
|year=2011
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|location=Oxford
|isbn=978-1-4441-3769-9
|edition=5th
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Cressey
|first=William Whitney
|year=1978
|title=Spanish Phonology and Morphology: A Generative View
|location=Washington, D.C.
|publisher=Georgetown University Press
|isbn=0-87840-045-1
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Dalby
|first=Andrew
|year=1998
|title=Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to More Than 400 Languages
|publisher=Columbia University Press
|isbn=0-231-11568-7
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKSeVLghcfQC&q=how+well+do+spanish+speakers+understand+portuguese%3F&pg=PA501
|access-date=28 October 2020
|archive-date=17 August 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817044903/https://books.google.com/books?id=yKSeVLghcfQC&q=how+well+do+spanish+speakers+understand+portuguese%3F&pg=PA501
|url-status=live
}}
* {{cite journal
|last=Eddington
|first=David
|year=2000
|title=Spanish Stress Assignment within the Analogical Modeling of Language
|journal=Language
|volume=76
|issue=1
|pages=92–109
|url=http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/eddingtond/STRESS.pdf
|doi=10.2307/417394
|jstor=417394
|access-date=7 April 2010
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708183631/http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/eddingtond/STRESS.pdf
|archive-date=8 July 2013
|url-status=dead
}}
* {{Cite book
|last1 = Ginsburgh
|first1 = Victor
|last2 = Weber
|first2 = Shlomo
|year = 2011
|title = How Many Languages Do We Need?: The Economics of Linguistic Diversity
|publisher = Princeton University Press
|isbn = 978-0-691-13689-9
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4QX8ri2o1TUC&q=how+well+do+spanish+speakers+understand+portuguese%3F&pg=PA90
|access-date = 28 October 2020
|archive-date = 16 August 2021
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210816181041/https://books.google.com/books?id=4QX8ri2o1TUC&q=how+well+do+spanish+speakers+understand+portuguese%3F&pg=PA90
|url-status = live
}}
* {{Cite journal |last = Harris
|first   = James
|year    = 1967
|title   = Sound Change in Spanish and the Theory of Markedness
|journal = Language
|volume  = 45
|issue   = 3
|pages   = 538–52
|doi     = 10.2307/411438
|jstor   = 411438
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Hualde
|first=José Ignacio
|year=2014
|title=Los sonidos del español
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|isbn=978-0-521-16823-6
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1a3CAQAAQBAJ&q=%22fonemas+conson%C3%A1nticos%22&pg=PR14
|access-date=28 October 2020
|archive-date=10 December 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210143921/https://books.google.com/books?id=1a3CAQAAQBAJ&q=%22fonemas+conson%C3%A1nticos%22&pg=PR14
|url-status=live
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* {{Cite journal |last = Jensen
|first   = John B.
|year    = 1989
|title   = On the Mutual Intelligibility of Spanish and Portuguese
|journal = Hispania
|volume  = 72
|issue   = 4
|pages   = 848–852
|jstor   = 343562
|doi     = 10.2307/343562
}}
* {{Cite book
|last1=Ladefoged
|first1=Peter
|last2=Johnson
|first2=Keith
|author-link=Peter Ladefoged
|year=2010
|title=A Course in Phonetics
|edition=6th
|publisher=Wadsworth Publishing
|location=Boston
|isbn=978-1-4282-3126-9
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FjLc1XtqJUUC
|access-date=17 June 2015
|archive-date=24 March 2019
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324222411/https://books.google.com/books?id=FjLc1XtqJUUC
|url-status=live
}}
* {{Cite journal |last1 = Martínez-Celdrán
|first1     = Eugenio
|last2      = Fernández-Planas
|first2     = Ana Ma.
|last3      = Carrera-Sabaté
|first3     = Josefina
|year       = 2003
|title      = Castilian Spanish
|journal    = Journal of the International Phonetic Association
|volume     = 33
|issue      = 2
|pages      = 255–59
|doi        = 10.1017/S0025100303001373
|doi-access = free
}}
* {{Cite book
|last1=Moreno Fernández
|first1=Francisco
|last2=Otero Roth
|first2=Jaime
|author-link=Francisco Moreno Fernández
|year=2008
|title=Atlas de la lengua española en el mundo
|location=Barcelona
|publisher=Ariel
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yrUSulWCJxUC
|isbn=9788408084358
|access-date=4 December 2023
|archive-date=22 January 2024
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122225405/https://books.google.com/books?id=yrUSulWCJxUC
|url-status=live
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Penny
|first=Ralph
|year=1991
|title=A History of the Spanish Language
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|isbn=0-521-39784-7
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjcrhyQlFa0C&q=four+spheres
|access-date=28 October 2020
|archive-date=14 August 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814152615/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjcrhyQlFa0C&q=four+spheres
|url-status=live
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Penny
|first=Ralph
|year=2000
|title=Variation and Change in Spanish
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|isbn=0-521-78045-4
|url=https://archive.org/details/variationchangei0000penn
|url-access=registration
}}
* {{Cite web | url = http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Excel-Data/DB04_Population_ByAgeSex_Annual/WPP2010_DB4_F1B_POPULATION_BY_AGE_BOTH_SEXES_ANNUAL_2011-2100.XLS | publisher = UN | title = Population by age, both sexes, annual; estimate for 2012 | format = XLS | ref = {{harvid | UN | 2011}} | access-date = 11 March 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130115100615/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Excel-Data/DB04_Population_ByAgeSex_Annual/WPP2010_DB4_F1B_POPULATION_BY_AGE_BOTH_SEXES_ANNUAL_2011-2100.XLS | archive-date = 15 January 2013 | url-status = dead }}
* {{cite book
|last=Rubino
|first=Carl
|chapter=Zamboangueño Chavacano and the Potentive Mode.
|year=2008
|title=Roots of Creole Structures: Weighing the Contribution of Substrates and Superstrates
|editor-last=Michaelis
|editor-first=Susanne
|publisher=Benjamins
|location=Amsterdam
|pages=279–299
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pPUeQLcGMOMC&q=rubino
|isbn=978-90-272-5255-5
|access-date=28 October 2020
|archive-date=19 December 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219223029/https://books.google.com/books?id=pPUeQLcGMOMC&q=rubino
|url-status=live
}}
* {{Cite journal |first=Ángeles |year=2011 |last=Vicente |title=La presencia de la lengua española en el Norte de África y su interacción con el árabe marroquí |url=https://www.academia.edu/2535550 |journal=Revista Internacional de Lingüística Iberoamericana |volume=9 |issue=2 |jstor=41678471 |page=62 |access-date=3 December 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122225403/https://www.academia.edu/2535550 |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book
|last = Zamora Vicente
|first = Alonso
|year = 1967
|title = Dialectología española
|location = Madrid
|publisher = Gredos
|url = https://archive.org/details/dialectologiaesp0000alon/mode/2up
|url-access = registration
|isbn = 978-8-424-91115-7
}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.rae.es/ Real Academia Española (RAE)], Royal Spanish Academy. Spain's official institution, with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language
* [https://www.cervantes.es/default.htm Instituto Cervantes], Cervantes Institute. A Spanish government agency, responsible for promoting the study and the teaching of the Spanish language and culture.
* [https://www.fundeu.es/ FundéuRAE], Foundation of Emerging Spanish. A non-profit organization with collaboration of the RAE which mission is to clarify doubts and ambiguities of Spanish.

{{Sister bar |auto=1|wikt=Category:Spanish language|d=y|iw=es}}
{{Spanish variants by continent}}
{{Romance languages|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish Language}}
[[Category:Spanish language| ]]
[[Category:Fusional languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Argentina]]
[[Category:Languages of Bolivia]]
[[Category:Languages of Chile]]
[[Category:Languages of Colombia]]
[[Category:Languages of Costa Rica]]
[[Category:Languages of Cuba]]
[[Category:Languages of the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Languages of Ecuador]]
[[Category:Languages of El Salvador]]
[[Category:Languages of Equatorial Guinea]]
[[Category:Languages of Guatemala]]
[[Category:Languages of Honduras]]
[[Category:Languages of Mexico]]
[[Category:Languages of Nicaragua]]
[[Category:Languages of Panama]]
[[Category:Languages of Paraguay]]
[[Category:Languages of Peru]]
[[Category:Languages of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Languages of Spain]]
[[Category:Languages of the United States]]
[[Category:Languages of Uruguay]]
[[Category:Languages of Venezuela]]
[[Category:Lingua francas]]
[[Category:Subject–verb–object languages]]
[[Category:Syllable-timed languages]]
[[Category:West Iberian languages of Spain]]