Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Factory in Spanish: Fábrica
Fábrica · noun · FAH-bree-kah
Fábrica is the Spanish word for factory — but be careful, because it is a well-known false cognate. English speakers often assume fábrica means 'fabric,' but fabric is tela or tejido in Spanish. Fábrica refers exclusively to a manufacturing facility. You may also hear planta (short for planta industrial) in corporate and industrial settings.
FAH-bree-kah
La fábrica produce más de mil unidades al día.
The factory produces more than a thousand units per day.
Factory in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for factory, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| fábrica | factory | FAH-bree-kah | Default, widely understood |
| planta | factory | short for planta industrial, common in business and industrial contexts | |
| manufactura | factory | manufacturing, used more broadly for the process or facility |
How Native Speakers Use Fábrica
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Talking about employment
Mi padre trabajó en una fábrica de automóviles durante veinte años.
My father worked in a car factory for twenty years.
Discussing someone's career history
Business expansion
La empresa abrirá una nueva planta en el norte del país.
The company will open a new plant in the north of the country.
Corporate announcement using planta
Environmental discussion
Las fábricas deben reducir sus emisiones para cumplir con la ley.
Factories must reduce their emissions to comply with the law.
Debate about industrial pollution
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Fábrica
False cognate: fábrica ≠ fabric
Incorrect: Compré una fábrica de algodón para hacer cortinas.
Correct: Compré una tela de algodón para hacer cortinas.
Fábrica means factory, not fabric. The Spanish word for fabric or cloth is tela. This is one of the most common false cognate traps between English and Spanish.
Accent omission changes meaning
Incorrect: Ella fabrica muebles. (when meaning 'the factory')
Correct: La fábrica produce muebles.
Without the accent, fabrica is the third-person present tense of fabricar (to manufacture). With the accent, fábrica is the noun meaning factory. The accent changes the word's role and stress.
Lock in Factory 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 Fábrica used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using fábrica in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear La fábrica produce más de mil unidades al día. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
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Common Questions About Factory in Spanish
- Why is fábrica a false cognate?
- Fábrica looks and sounds like 'fabric' in English, but it means factory. This happens because both words trace back to the Latin fabricare (to make), but they diverged in meaning across the two languages.
- How do I say 'fabric' in Spanish if not fábrica?
- Fabric is tela (general cloth or fabric) or tejido (woven material). For example: 'Esta tela es muy suave' (This fabric is very soft).
- Is planta the same as fábrica?
- Planta (short for planta industrial or planta de producción) is often used interchangeably with fábrica, especially in corporate language. Planta tends to sound more formal and is common in news and business reports.