Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Ankle in Spanish: Tobillo
Tobillo · noun (masculine) · toh-BEE-yoh
Ankle is tobillo (el tobillo) in Spanish, a masculine noun. It is universal across all Spanish-speaking countries with no synonyms or regional variants. Common phrases include torcerse el tobillo (to twist one's ankle), esguince de tobillo (ankle sprain), and tobillera (ankle brace or anklet).
Tobillo is toh-BEE-yoh, three syllables, stress on BEE. The ll is pronounced like a y in most dialects (and like sh or zh in Argentina).
Me torcí el tobillo jugando al fútbol.
I twisted my ankle playing soccer.
How Native Speakers Use Tobillo
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Sports injury
El jugador se lesionó el tobillo en el segundo tiempo.
The player injured his ankle in the second half.
Lesionarse el tobillo means to injure one's ankle. In sports reporting, this phrasing is standard. Note the reflexive construction with the definite article (el tobillo, not su tobillo).
Medical visit
El doctor me dijo que tengo un esguince de tobillo leve.
The doctor told me I have a minor ankle sprain.
Esguince de tobillo (ankle sprain) is the medical term. Leve means minor or slight. Grave would mean severe.
Jewelry
Se compró una tobillera de plata en la playa.
She bought a silver anklet at the beach.
Tobillera means both an ankle brace (medical) and an anklet (jewelry). Context distinguishes them — on the beach, it is clearly jewelry.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Tobillo
Using possessive instead of definite article
Incorrect: Me torcí mi tobillo.
Correct: Me torcí el tobillo.
In Spanish, body parts use the definite article (el, la) with a reflexive verb, not the possessive (mi, tu). The reflexive me already indicates whose ankle it is.
Confusing tobillo with rodilla
Incorrect: Me duele el tobillo. (pointing to knee)
Correct: Me duele la rodilla.
Tobillo is the ankle (where the foot meets the leg). Rodilla is the knee. They are different joints, and mixing them up can lead to medical miscommunication.
Lock in Ankle Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Tobillo used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using tobillo in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Me torcí el tobillo jugando al fútbol. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Ankle in Spanish
- How do I say 'I sprained my ankle' in Spanish?
- Me torcí el tobillo or Me esguincé el tobillo. Torcerse is more colloquial (to twist), while esguincarse is more clinical (to sprain). Both are commonly used.
- What is a tobillera?
- Tobillera has two meanings: an ankle brace (a medical support wrap) and an anklet (decorative jewelry worn around the ankle). The word derives directly from tobillo. Context always clarifies which meaning is intended.
- Is tobillo masculine or feminine?
- Masculine: el tobillo. Plural: los tobillos. Despite ending in -o (which usually indicates masculine), it is worth confirming for body parts since some break the pattern.