Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Cyst in Spanish: Quiste — Medical Vocabulary You Should Know
Quiste · noun (masculine) · KEES-teh
Cyst in Spanish is quiste (KEES-teh), a masculine noun. It refers to any closed sac containing fluid, air, or semi-solid material that can form in various parts of the body. You'll hear it at the doctor's office in phrases like quiste ovárico (ovarian cyst), quiste renal (kidney cyst), or quiste sebáceo (sebaceous cyst). The adjective form is quístico/a, as in fibrosis quística (cystic fibrosis).
KEES-teh — two syllables, stress on the first. The qu is a hard k sound (the u is silent), and the final e is pronounced like the e in 'bed.'
El médico descubrió un quiste pequeño en la ecografía.
The doctor found a small cyst on the ultrasound.
Cyst in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for cyst, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| quiste | cyst | KEES-teh | Default, widely understood |
| quiste ovárico | cyst | ovarian cyst (medical) | |
| quiste sebáceo | cyst | sebaceous cyst (dermatology) |
How Native Speakers Use Quiste
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Doctor's diagnosis
Le encontraron un quiste benigno en el riñón derecho.
They found a benign cyst in his right kidney.
Benigno means benign; maligno means malignant. These adjectives follow the noun in medical Spanish.
Ovarian cyst
Mi ginecóloga me dijo que el quiste ovárico se resolverá solo.
My gynecologist told me the ovarian cyst will resolve on its own.
Quiste ovárico is the standard medical term used across all Spanish-speaking countries.
Surgical removal
Van a operar para extraer el quiste la próxima semana.
They're going to operate to remove the cyst next week.
Extraer (to extract/remove) is the formal medical verb; quitar is more colloquial.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Quiste
Using feminine article
Incorrect: La quiste se ve en la radiografía.
Correct: El quiste se ve en la radiografía.
Quiste is masculine despite ending in -e. Always use el quiste, un quiste. Many medical nouns ending in -e are masculine in Spanish.
Spelling it like English
Incorrect: ciste or cyste
Correct: quiste
Spanish doesn't use the letter combination cy- for this word. The qu- spelling reflects the Latin and Greek roots filtered through Spanish orthography.
Lock in Cyst Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
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See Quiste used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using quiste in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear El médico descubrió un quiste pequeño en la ecografía. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
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Common Questions About Cyst in Spanish
- How do you say cyst in Spanish?
- Cyst is quiste (KEES-teh), a masculine noun. You'll use it with el or un: el quiste, un quiste. Add a descriptor for specifics: quiste ovárico (ovarian), quiste sebáceo (sebaceous), quiste renal (kidney).
- Is quiste masculine or feminine?
- Quiste is masculine. Use el quiste and un quiste. This catches many learners off guard because the -e ending doesn't signal gender clearly, but it follows the pattern of most medical -iste/-ste nouns in Spanish.
- How do you say cystic fibrosis in Spanish?
- Cystic fibrosis is fibrosis quística. The adjective quístico/a derives from quiste and agrees in gender with the noun it modifies — here fibrosis is feminine, so it's quística.