Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say 21 in Spanish: Veintiuno & Veintiún
Veintiuno · numeral · bein-tee-OO-noh
Twenty-one in Spanish is veintiuno, fused from veinte and uno into one word. When it appears directly before a masculine noun, the final -o drops, giving veintiún (with an accent). Before feminine nouns, veintiuna is used. Numbers 21–29 all follow this fused pattern in modern Spanish.
Pronounce it bein-tee-OO-noh. The stress falls on the third syllable. The shortened form veintiún stresses the final syllable: bein-tee-OON.
Mi hermano cumple veintiún años mañana.
My brother turns twenty-one tomorrow.
21 in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for 21, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| veintiuno | 21 | bein-tee-OO-noh | Default, widely understood |
| veintiún | 21 | shortened form before masculine nouns |
How Native Speakers Use Veintiuno
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Standalone number
¿Cuántos estudiantes hay? —Veintiuno.
How many students are there? —Twenty-one.
When no noun follows, the full form veintiuno is used.
Before a masculine noun
Necesito veintiún dólares para el boleto.
I need twenty-one dollars for the ticket.
Before the masculine noun dólares, the shortened form veintiún is required.
Before a feminine noun
Hay veintiuna páginas en este capítulo.
There are twenty-one pages in this chapter.
Before a feminine noun like páginas, the ending changes to veintiuna.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Veintiuno
Writing it as three words
Incorrect: Tengo veinte y uno libros.
Correct: Tengo veintiún libros.
Numbers from 21 to 29 are written as a single word in modern Spanish (veintiuno, veintidós, etc.), not as three separate words.
Forgetting to shorten before masculine nouns
Incorrect: Compré veintiuno boletos.
Correct: Compré veintiún boletos.
Directly before a masculine noun, veintiuno must shorten to veintiún. The full form is only used when standing alone or at the end of a phrase.
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See Veintiuno used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using veintiuno in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Mi hermano cumple veintiún años mañana. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
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Common Questions About 21 in Spanish
- Is 'veinte y uno' ever acceptable?
- In very old or literary texts you may encounter veinte y uno as three words, but modern standard Spanish requires the fused form veintiuno (or veintiún / veintiuna before nouns).
- Does veintiuno change for gender?
- The shortened form veintiún appears before masculine nouns, veintiuna before feminine nouns, and veintiuno when the number stands alone without a following noun.
- Do all numbers in the twenties follow this pattern?
- From 21 to 29, Spanish fuses the components into one word: veintidós, veintitrés, veinticuatro, and so on. Starting at 31, numbers are written as separate words again (treinta y uno).