How to Say Handsome in Spanish: Guapo, Apuesto and More
The everyday word for handsome in Spanish is guapo, pronounced GWAH-poh: Tu hermano es muy guapo (Your brother is very handsome). For a woman the form is guapa, and the plurals are guapos and guapas.
Guapo works in every Spanish-speaking country, in speech and in writing. When you want something more formal or more literary, use apuesto (ah-PWES-toh), which is close to English “handsome” or “dashing” in a novel, or bien parecido (good-looking), which is neutral and polite. To tell a man he looks handsome today, in that suit or with that haircut, say ¡Qué guapo estás! or, in much of Latin America, ¡Qué guapo te ves! Below you will find every common option with its register, the ser/estar difference, the other meanings of guapo that catch learners out, regional slang that is actually used, a short dialogue and a practice set with answers.
Quick picker: which word for “handsome”?
| Spanish (pronunciation) | Closest English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| guapo / guapa (GWAH-poh) | handsome, good-looking | The default, everywhere. Compliments, descriptions, chat. |
| apuesto / apuesta (ah-PWES-toh) | handsome, dashing | Writing, formal praise, slightly old-fashioned in speech. Used mostly of men. |
| bien parecido / bien parecida | good-looking | Neutral, polite description: a job reference, a news story, an older speaker. |
| buen mozo / buena moza (also buenmozo) | a fine-looking man / woman | Common in much of Latin America (Chile, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, among others); rare in Spain. |
| atractivo / atractiva | attractive | Looks plus presence or charm; also offers, jobs, ideas. |
| lindo / linda | cute, lovely, good-looking | Very common in Latin America, including for men; in Spain it sounds sweet or childlike for an adult man. |
| hermoso, bello | beautiful | Strong or poetic admiration. For a man, see the note below; very natural for babies. |
| un galán (noun) | a charmer, a leading man | A man known for charm and good looks; the romantic lead in a film or soap opera. |
Guapo: the word you will use most
Guapo is an adjective, so it changes to match the person you describe. One man is guapo, one woman is guapa, two or more men or a mixed group are guapos, and two or more women are guapas. The stress always falls on the first syllable: GWAH-poh, GWAH-pah. The gu before a sounds like the “gw” in “Gwen”, not like a hard g followed by a separate u.
| Form | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| guapo (m. sing.) | Es un actor muy guapo. | He’s a very handsome actor. |
| guapa (f. sing.) | Tu madre es guapísima. | Your mother is really good-looking. |
| guapos (m. or mixed pl.) | Mis primos son todos guapos. | My cousins are all good-looking. |
| guapas (f. pl.) | Las chicas salieron guapísimas en las fotos. | The girls looked stunning in the photos. |
To make it stronger, add muy or use the superlative guapísimo (very, very handsome). In exclamations Spanish likes qué + adjective, or qué + noun + más/tan + adjective: ¡Qué guapo!, ¡Qué chico más guapo!, ¡Qué hombre tan guapo! The diminutive guapito exists, but it often sounds teasing or ironic, so learners can leave it alone.
Guapo is not only for men. Guapa is the normal way to call a woman good-looking or pretty in Spain, and it is common in Latin America too. If you need the women’s side in detail, the page on how to say beautiful in Spanish covers bonita, hermosa and preciosa.
Real-life sentences with guapo
- ¿Has visto al chico nuevo de contabilidad? Es guapísimo. Have you seen the new guy in accounts? He’s gorgeous.
- Mi abuelo era muy guapo de joven; mira esta foto. My grandfather was very handsome when he was young; look at this photo.
- Siempre ha sido guapo, pero lo que más me gusta es su sentido del humor. He’s always been good-looking, but what I like most is his sense of humour.
- No es guapo en el sentido clásico, pero tiene algo. He isn’t handsome in the classic sense, but he has something.
- ¡Qué niño más guapo! ¿Cuántos meses tiene? What a handsome little boy! How old is he?
Es guapo or está guapo?
Both are correct, and the difference is useful. Ser describes what someone is like in general; estar describes how they look at a particular moment.
- Mi hermano es guapo. My brother is good-looking (a general fact about him).
- ¡Qué guapo estás con ese traje! You look so handsome in that suit! (today, in these clothes)
- Estás muy guapo con el pelo corto. You look really good with short hair.
In much of Latin America the “you look” idea is usually expressed with verse (to look, to appear): Te ves muy guapo, Te ves guapísimo hoy. In Spain Estás muy guapo is the more usual choice. Both are understood everywhere.
Because hoy points to a single day, Eres guapo hoy sounds odd. Say Estás guapo hoy or Hoy te ves guapo. For more on the two verbs, see ser vs estar.
Apuesto, bien parecido, buen mozo and atractivo
Apuesto is the closest match to English “handsome” in its slightly formal, admiring sense. You will meet it in novels, in descriptions of actors and in polite praise: Entró un hombre alto y apuesto (A tall, handsome man came in). In conversation it can sound a little old-fashioned or theatrical, which is why people sometimes use it with a smile: ¡Qué apuesto vas hoy! It is used of women too (apuesta), but much less often.
Bien parecido literally means “well-looking”. It is neutral and safe, a description rather than a compliment: Era un hombre bien parecido, de unos cuarenta años (He was a good-looking man of about forty). It is useful when you have to describe someone without sounding flirtatious, for example in a statement to the police or in a formal letter.
Buen mozo (sometimes written as one word, buenmozo) is widely used in Latin America for a good-looking man, and buena moza for a woman: Su hijo salió muy buen mozo (Her son turned out very handsome). In Spain, mozo on its own is more likely to mean a young lad or a porter, so the phrase is less common there.
Atractivo means attractive and, like the English word, it covers more than looks. A man can be atractivo because of how he talks, moves or dresses. It is also used for things: una oferta atractiva (an attractive offer), un sueldo atractivo (an attractive salary).
Lindo, hermoso and bello: can you use them for a man?
Lindo is extremely common in Latin America for people and things, and it is used for men without any problem: in Argentina or Uruguay Es un chico muy lindo simply means he’s a good-looking guy. In Spain, lindo is less frequent in everyday speech, and for an adult man it can sound sweet, childlike or ironic, so guapo is the safer choice there. Lindo also means “nice” in a kind way: ¡Qué lindo de tu parte! (How sweet of you!).
Hermoso and bello both mean “beautiful”. You can use them for a man, and people do, but they sound much stronger and more poetic than “handsome”. A partner might say Eres hermoso in a tender moment, and a writer might describe un rostro bello (a beautiful face). For babies and little boys they are perfectly ordinary: ¡Qué bebé más hermoso! For a casual compliment to a friend or colleague, stick with guapo.
One spelling trap: bello (beautiful) and vello (body hair) sound the same in nearly every accent, because Spanish b and v are pronounced alike. Check the letter when you write.
Other meanings of guapo
Guapo does more than describe a face, and some of its other uses surprise learners:
- “Cool” or “great” for things, in Spain. In colloquial Spanish from Spain, guapo can describe objects and plans: ¡Qué móvil más guapo! (What a cool phone!), El concierto estuvo muy guapo (The concert was great).
- A friendly form of address. In Spain shopkeepers, bar staff and older people often say guapa or guapo to customers and strangers: ¿Qué te pongo, guapa? (What can I get you, love?). It is warm, not flirtatious, much like British “love” or “dear”.
- Brave or bold. Spanish dictionaries also record an older sense of guapo as daring, someone who faces danger without fear.
- A tough guy or bully. As a noun, un guapo can mean a swaggering man who picks fights; you may hear el guapo del barrio (the neighbourhood tough). In Venezuela and parts of the Caribbean, guapo for “tough” or “brave” is still heard in everyday speech, and context shows which meaning is meant.
In practice, when someone says es guapo about a person, they almost always mean good-looking. The other senses matter mostly when you read older texts or travel.
Informal and regional words
These are real and common, but they are informal, and some are flirtatious. Use them with friends or a partner, not with strangers or at work.
| Word | Where | Meaning and tone | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| guapetón | mainly Spain | very handsome, a bit showy; playful | ¡Mira qué guapetón vienes hoy! |
| un bombón | widespread | a “hottie” (literally a chocolate); flirty | Tu primo es un bombón. |
| churro | Argentina, Uruguay | good-looking person; casual. In Spain a churro is a fried pastry, or a botched job. | Ese actor está re churro. |
| mino | Chile | attractive guy; casual | Tu amigo es súper mino. |
| papacito, papi | Mexico, the Caribbean and elsewhere | very informal and flirty; fine between partners, rude or creepy to a stranger | Hola, papacito. |
| un galán | widespread | a charmer, a ladies’ man, the romantic lead; slightly old-fashioned | Su abuelo era todo un galán. |
Compliments for real situations
Which word you pick depends as much on the relationship as on the man’s looks. These are natural choices that will not sound odd or too forward.
| Situation | What to say | English |
|---|---|---|
| To your partner | Estás guapísimo. / Eres el hombre más guapo del mundo. | You look gorgeous. / You’re the most handsome man in the world. |
| To a friend who has dressed up | ¡Qué guapo vas! / ¡Qué elegante! | You look great! / How smart! |
| To a colleague, politely | Te queda muy bien el traje. | That suit really suits you. |
| About someone’s baby or son | ¡Qué niño más guapo! / ¡Qué bebé más hermoso! | What a handsome boy! / What a beautiful baby! |
| About an older man | Sigue siendo muy guapo. / Es un señor muy bien parecido. | He’s still very handsome. / He’s a very distinguished-looking man. |
| Describing a man in writing | un joven apuesto de ojos oscuros | a handsome young man with dark eyes |
With colleagues and people you do not know well, Spanish speakers often praise the clothes or the haircut rather than the person: Te queda muy bien (It suits you) is warm without being personal. That is the same instinct many English speakers have at work.
Describing a man beyond “handsome”
When you describe someone’s looks in Spanish, guapo often comes with a few other words: alto (tall), moreno (dark-haired or dark-skinned, depending on the country), rubio (blond), de ojos claros (with light-coloured eyes), con barba (with a beard), en forma (fit). A neutral description might be Es alto, moreno, con barba, y bastante guapo (He’s tall and dark, with a beard, and quite good-looking). Note bastante, “quite”: Spanish speakers use it a lot to soften a compliment.
Set phrases about looking good
- estar hecho un pincel: to be dressed very smartly (literally “made a paintbrush”). Para la boda iba hecho un pincel. He was dressed to the nines for the wedding.
- ir de punta en blanco: to be all dressed up. Llegó de punta en blanco a la entrevista.
- ser un buen partido: to be a good catch. Es guapo, simpático y trabajador: un buen partido.
- un rompecorazones: a heartbreaker. En el instituto era un rompecorazones.
- tener buena planta: to have a good figure or bearing, to look tall and well built. Tiene muy buena planta.
- ser guapo de cara: to have a handsome face (as opposed to body or style). Es guapo de cara, pero viste fatal.
A short dialogue
Two friends, Lucía and Marta, are getting ready for a party. Lucía’s brother Daniel walks in.
- Marta: ¡Daniel! ¡Qué guapo estás! ¿Te has cortado el pelo? (Daniel! You look so handsome! Have you had your hair cut?)
- Daniel: Sí, ayer. ¿Me queda bien? (Yes, yesterday. Does it suit me?)
- Lucía: Te queda genial. Vas hecho un pincel. (It looks great. You’re dressed to the nines.)
- Marta: ¿Y ese chico de la foto, quién es? Es muy guapo. (And who’s the guy in the photo? He’s very good-looking.)
- Lucía: Es su amigo Andrés. Guapo, sí, pero un poco creído. (That’s his friend Andrés. Good-looking, yes, but a bit full of himself.)
- Daniel: Andrés es buena gente. Y no tan guapo como yo. (Andrés is a good guy. And not as handsome as me.)
Notice estás for how Daniel looks today, and es for a general description of Andrés.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ella es muy guapo. | Ella es muy guapa. | The adjective agrees with the person: -a for a woman. |
| Mis hermanos son guapo. | Mis hermanos son guapos. | Plural subject, plural adjective. |
| ¡Qué guapo eres hoy! | ¡Qué guapo estás hoy! / ¡Qué guapo te ves hoy! | Hoy is about a moment, so use estar or verse. |
| Es un hombre hermoso (as a casual compliment to a colleague) | Es un hombre muy guapo. | Hermoso is correct but sounds poetic or intimate. |
| Es muy galán. | Es muy guapo. / Es todo un galán. | Galán works mainly as a noun. |
| Calling a stranger papacito or bombón | guapo or nothing at all | These are flirty and can offend. |
Practice
Choose the best word or form. Answers follow.
- Your friend has dressed up for a wedding. You say: ¡Qué ______ estás! (guapo / guapa, the friend is a man)
- A formal description in a novel: Era un caballero alto y ______. (apuesto / bombón)
- Mis dos hermanas son muy ______. (guapo / guapas)
- In Argentina, a friend says of an actor: Es re ______. (churro / mino)
- Describing a man neutrally to the police: Era un hombre bien ______, de unos treinta años.
- Ser or estar? Mi padre ______ guapo de joven, y todavía lo ______.
- In Mexico, to a man who looks good tonight: ¡Qué guapo te ______!
Answers: 1. guapo. 2. apuesto. 3. guapas. 4. churro (mino is Chilean). 5. parecido. 6. era … es (a lasting quality; todavía lo es). 7. ves.
Quick answers
How do you pronounce guapo?
GWAH-poh, with the stress on the first syllable. The feminine guapa is GWAH-pah.
How do you say “you are handsome” in Spanish?
Eres guapo (informal) or Usted es muy guapo (formal). To say he looks handsome right now: Estás muy guapo or Te ves muy guapo.
What is the formal word for handsome in Spanish?
Apuesto for an admiring, literary “handsome”; bien parecido for a neutral, polite “good-looking”.
How do you say “handsome man” in Spanish?
Un hombre guapo, or more formally un hombre apuesto. In much of Latin America, un buen mozo is also common.
Is guapo only for men?
No. Guapo is the masculine form and guapa the feminine; both are everyday words.
What is the difference between guapo and lindo?
Guapo is “good-looking” everywhere. Lindo is “lovely” or “cute” and, in Latin America, a normal word for a good-looking man as well; in Spain it sounds softer and less adult.
Can guapo mean brave?
Yes, in older usage and in some regions, especially Venezuela and parts of the Caribbean. As a noun, un guapo can also be a tough guy who picks fights.
Want more words for people and feelings? Browse the Spanish vocabulary pages, or see how to say “how are you, beautiful?” in Spanish, how to say I love you in Spanish and how to say girl in Spanish.
