Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Face in Spanish: Cara & Rostro
Cara · noun · KAH-rah
The most common Spanish word for 'face' is cara, used freely in everyday conversation, idioms, and descriptions. Its more elevated counterpart, rostro, carries a literary or formal tone and is favored in novels, poetry, news broadcasts, and beauty-industry marketing. A third option, faz, exists but is largely confined to archaic or highly poetic texts. Beyond the physical meaning, cara is also the word for one side of a coin or object, and it appears in a wealth of idiomatic expressions such as dar la cara (to face up to something) and tener cara dura (to have nerve).
Cara is pronounced KAH-rah, with the stress on the first syllable and a soft single-tap 'r.' Rostro is pronounced ROHS-troh, with the stress on the first syllable and a stronger initial 'r' that may be slightly trilled depending on the speaker's dialect.
Se lavó la cara con agua fría al despertar.
She washed her face with cold water when she woke up.
Face in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for face, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| cara | face | KAH-rah | Default, widely understood |
| rostro | face | literary, formal, or poetic register | |
| faz | face | very literary or archaic |
How Native Speakers Use Cara
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Daily routine
Ponte crema en la cara antes de salir al sol.
Put sunscreen on your face before going out in the sun.
Cara is the natural choice for everyday, practical contexts involving the face.
Literary or formal register
El artista capturó cada detalle del rostro de la modelo.
The artist captured every detail of the model's face.
Rostro elevates the tone, making it ideal for art criticism, literature, and formal descriptions.
Idiomatic expression
No me pongas esa cara, sabes que tengo razón.
Don't give me that face, you know I'm right.
Poner cara (to make a face) is a common idiom. Rostro would not work here — idioms stick to cara.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Cara
Using rostro in casual speech
Incorrect: ¡Tienes el rostro sucio, ve a lavarte!
Correct: ¡Tienes la cara sucia, ve a lavarte!
Rostro sounds overly formal in casual, everyday situations. Telling a child to wash their face calls for cara, not the literary rostro.
Wrong gender with cara
Incorrect: El cara del payaso daba miedo.
Correct: La cara del payaso daba miedo.
Cara is a feminine noun and requires the feminine article la. Despite ending in 'a' being a strong hint, learners sometimes default to el in error.
Lock in Face 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 Cara used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using cara in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Se lavó la cara con agua fría al despertar. 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 Face in Spanish
- When should I use cara versus rostro?
- Use cara in everyday speech, casual writing, and idioms — it covers the vast majority of situations. Reserve rostro for formal writing, literature, poetic descriptions, or when you want to sound more refined, such as in a news report or a beauty article.
- How do you say 'to face' (a problem) in Spanish?
- The verb is enfrentar or enfrentarse a. For example: 'Tienes que enfrentar tus miedos' (You have to face your fears). Dar la cara is an idiomatic alternative that means to step up and take responsibility.
- What does 'tener cara dura' mean?
- Tener cara dura literally means 'to have a hard face,' but idiomatically it means to have nerve or to be shameless. If someone lies without flinching, you might say 'Tiene una cara dura increíble' — they have unbelievable nerve.