Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say 16 in Spanish: Dieciséis
Dieciséis · number / adjective · dyeh-see-SAYS
Sixteen in Spanish is dieciséis, a single compound word. It follows the pattern of numbers 16–19, where diez y (ten and) merges with the ones digit into one word.
dyeh-see-SAYS
Mi hermana cumple dieciséis años mañana.
My sister turns sixteen tomorrow.
How Native Speakers Use Dieciséis
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Age
Cuando tenía dieciséis años, aprendí a conducir.
When I was sixteen, I learned to drive.
Talking about an experience at age sixteen.
Quantity
Hay dieciséis estudiantes en la clase de hoy.
There are sixteen students in today's class.
Counting the number of people in a group.
Address or floor
Vivimos en el piso dieciséis del edificio.
We live on the sixteenth floor of the building.
Referring to a floor number in a building.
Sports
El equipo ganó dieciséis partidos esta temporada.
The team won sixteen games this season.
Discussing sports statistics.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Dieciséis
Writing it as three words
Incorrect: Compré diez y seis manzanas.
Correct: Compré dieciséis manzanas.
The numbers 16 through 19 are written as a single word in modern Spanish. The old three-word form diez y seis is considered archaic.
Omitting the accent
Incorrect: El autobús sale a las dieciseis horas.
Correct: El autobús sale a las dieciséis horas.
Dieciséis requires a written accent on the é to mark the stressed syllable. Without the accent, the spelling is incorrect.
Lock in 16 Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
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See Dieciséis used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using dieciséis in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Mi hermana cumple dieciséis años mañana. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
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Common Questions About 16 in Spanish
- Why is dieciséis one word instead of three?
- Numbers 16 through 19 in Spanish are contractions of diez y seis, diez y siete, etc. The Real Academia Española standardized them as single compound words: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve.
- Is there a special celebration for turning 16 in Latin America?
- In some Latin American countries, particularly Mexico and parts of Central America, a girl's fifteenth birthday (quinceañera) is the major celebration, not the sixteenth. Turning sixteen does not carry the same cultural significance as the sweet sixteen tradition in the United States.
- How do you say sixteenth in Spanish?
- The ordinal form is decimosexto (masculine) or decimosexta (feminine). However, in everyday speech, Spanish speakers often use the cardinal number instead: el piso dieciséis rather than el decimosexto piso.