Spanish Words That Start With ‘Y’

The most common Spanish word that starts with Y is y itself, meaning “and”. Others you will use often are yo (I), ya (already, now), yogur (yogurt), yema (egg yolk), yerno (son-in-law), yeso (plaster) and the verb yacer (to lie, be buried). Y is a short list in Spanish, because many words English spells with Y use I in Spanish (idea) or LL (llamar). Below: how to pronounce it, the rule for y becoming e, and the useful Y words grouped by meaning.

How to pronounce Y

• At the start of a word or between vowels, Y is a consonant. In most countries it sounds like the English Y in “yes”: yo = “yoh”, mayo = “MAH-yoh”. Many speakers make it a little stronger, closer to the “j” in “jam”, especially after N or L or for emphasis: ¡Yo no!
• In Argentina and Uruguay, Y (and LL) sounds like the “s” in “measure” or the “sh” in “show”: yo = “zhoh” or “shoh”.
• Alone, or at the end of a word after a vowel, Y is a vowel sound like Spanish I: y = “ee”, hoy = “oy”, muy = “mwee”, rey = “ray”.

In most of the Spanish-speaking world, Y and LL now sound the same (yeísmo), so cayó (fell) and calló (went quiet) are pronounced alike.

The word y (and) and when it becomes e

Y joins words and clauses, just like “and”:

• Juan y María son amigos. – Juan and María are friends.
• El libro es largo y aburrido. – The book is long and boring.
• Ella canta y baila muy bien. – She sings and dances very well.
• Él cocina y yo lavo los platos. – He cooks and I do the dishes.
• ¿Y tú? – And you? / What about you?

Rule: before a word that begins with the vowel sound “ee” (spelled i- or hi-), y changes to e so the two sounds don’t merge:

• español e inglés – Spanish and English
• padre e hijo – father and son
• naranjas e higos – oranges and figs
• Italia e Irlanda – Italy and Ireland
• geografía e historia – geography and history

Exceptions: keep y when the next word starts with the sound “ye” or “ya” (hie-, hia-, hio-): agua y hielo (water and ice), cobre y hierro (copper and iron). An earlier version of this page wrote “agua e hielo”, which is wrong. Also keep y at the start of a question: ¿Y Inés? (And what about Inés?)

The same thing happens with o (or), which becomes u before an “o” sound: siete u ocho, mujer u hombre.

More everyday uses of y

• ¿Y qué? – So what?
• ¿Y si…? – What if…? ¿Y si llueve? (What if it rains?)
• y eso que… – even though…: Llegó tarde, y eso que salió temprano. (He was late, even though he left early.)
• Telling the time: Son las tres y cuarto. (It’s quarter past three.) Las dos y media. (Half past two.)
• Numbers 31–99: treinta y uno, cuarenta y cinco, noventa y nueve. From 16 to 29 the y is written into the word: dieciséis, veintitrés.
• In lists, y goes only before the last item, usually with no comma: pan, leche y huevos.

Two words you will say every day: yo and ya

yo – I

Because Spanish verb endings already show the person, yo is usually left out: Hablo español, not Yo hablo español every time. Use it for contrast or emphasis:

• Yo pago. – I’ll pay. (me, not you)
• ¿Quién quiere café? – ¡Yo! – Who wants coffee? – Me!
• Ella estudia medicina y yo, derecho. – She studies medicine and I study law.
• Yo que tú, no lo haría. – If I were you, I wouldn’t do it.

After a preposition, use mí: para mí, sin mí; with con it becomes conmigo. Exceptions are entre tú y yo (between you and me) and según yo (in my view, informal).

ya – already, now, any more, OK

Ya or todavía?

Learners often swap these. Think of them as two sides of the same question:

So ya = already, ya no = not any more, todavía (or aún) = still, todavía no = not yet.

Nouns

Most Y nouns are everyday words from the kitchen, the family and the farm. A few, like yate, yoga and yogur, are borrowed and look almost the same as in English.

Verbs

Y verbs are rare. More useful is knowing that some verbs gain a Y in certain forms: leer → leyó, leyendo; oír → oye, oyó; caer → cayó; construir → construyo; ir → yendo (going). See our page on oír for one full example.

Adjectives and other words

• yermo – barren, uninhabited (literary): una tierra yerma
• yanqui – Yankee (informal for American; can be pejorative)
• yucateco – from Yucatán
• yo-yo or yoyó – yo-yo
• yeyé – 1960s pop style (Spain)

Places and names: Yucatán, Yungas (Bolivia), the river Yaque (Dominican Republic), and names like Yolanda and Yesenia.

Y words in real sentences

• Ya es tarde; yo me voy a casa. – It’s late now; I’m going home.
• Mi yerno y mi hija viven en Monterrey. – My son-in-law and my daughter live in Monterrey.
• Bate las yemas con el azúcar. – Beat the yolks with the sugar.
• Se rompió el brazo y lleva yeso un mes. – He broke his arm and has been in a cast for a month.
• Para merendar, un yogur natural y una pieza de fruta. – For an afternoon snack, a plain yogurt and a piece of fruit.
• Ya que vas al súper, compra yuca. – Since you’re going to the supermarket, buy some cassava.
• En la finca tienen dos yeguas y un caballo. – On the farm they have two mares and a horse.
• Encontraron un yacimiento romano bajo la plaza. – They found a Roman site under the square.
• ¿Ya no haces yoga? – Don’t you do yoga any more?
• Entre tú y yo, no me gustó la película. – Between you and me, I didn’t like the film.

Y or I? Y or LL?

Because Y and LL sound alike for most speakers, and final Y sounds like I, spelling trips people up:

• Words ending in a stressed “ay/ey/oy/uy” sound use Y: hoy, ley, muy, estoy, rey. Plural: leyes, reyes.
• Words like llamar, llave, lluvia, llegar use LL and are not Y words, though they sound the same. See Spanish words that start with LL.
• English words with Y often use I in Spanish: idea, física (physics), sistema (system), mito (myth).

Common mistakes

The first two rows are the ones that trip up even advanced learners, because the rule depends on sound, not spelling.

Practice

1. Fill in y or e: madre ___ hija
2. Fill in y or e: nieve ___ hielo
3. Fill in y or e: Ana ___ Isabel
4. Translate: I don’t smoke any more.
5. Translate: I’ve already finished.
6. Correct: Es un regalo para yo.

Answers: 1. e 2. y 3. e 4. Ya no fumo. 5. Ya he terminado. / Ya terminé. 6. Es un regalo para mí.

Quick answers

What is the name of the letter Y in Spanish?

The academies recommend ye. The older name i griega (“Greek I”) is still very widely used.

Why does y change to e?

Because “y” and a following “i” sound are the same vowel, and they would blur into one. E keeps the words apart: Fernando e Isabel.

Is it yogur or yogurt?

Yogur is the standard spelling (plural yogures). Yogurt is common on packaging in Latin America, and both are understood.

Is it hierba or yerba?

Both are correct and mean grass or herb. Hierba is more common in Spain; yerba is common in Latin America and is always used in yerba mate.

What are easy Spanish Y words for kids?

Yo, yogur, yate, yegua, yoyó and yema.

Other letters: R, Z, F, plus Spanish foods that start with Y.