Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Guest in Spanish: Invitado & Huésped
Invitado · noun · een-bee-TAH-doh
The primary Spanish word for guest is invitado (feminine: invitada), used for someone invited to an event, party, or gathering. Huésped refers to an overnight guest or hotel guest and carries a sense of hospitality and lodging.
een-bee-TAH-doh
Todos los invitados llegaron puntuales a la fiesta.
All the guests arrived on time to the party.
Guest in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for guest, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| invitado | guest | een-bee-TAH-doh | Default, widely understood |
| huésped | guest | hotel guest or overnight guest |
How Native Speakers Use Invitado
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Party guest
Preparamos comida para cincuenta invitados.
We prepared food for fifty guests.
Invitados is the standard word for guests at social events like parties, weddings, and dinners.
Hotel guest
El hotel ofrece desayuno gratuito para todos los huéspedes.
The hotel offers free breakfast for all guests.
Huésped is the standard hospitality-industry term for a lodging guest.
Guest at someone's home
Tenemos un cuarto de huéspedes para cuando nos visita la familia.
We have a guest room for when family visits us.
Cuarto de huéspedes (guest room) uses huésped because it implies overnight stay.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Invitado
Using invitado for hotel contexts
Incorrect: Los invitados del hotel se quejaron del ruido.
Correct: Los huéspedes del hotel se quejaron del ruido.
In hospitality, huésped is the correct term. Invitado implies being invited to a specific event, not paying for a room.
Forgetting gender agreement
Incorrect: Ella es un invitado especial.
Correct: Ella es una invitada especial.
Invitado changes to invitada for a female guest. Both the article and noun must reflect the person's gender.
Lock in Guest 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 Invitado used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using invitado in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Todos los invitados llegaron puntuales a la fiesta. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
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Common Questions About Guest in Spanish
- Can huésped be used for a party guest?
- Huésped specifically carries the connotation of lodging—someone staying somewhere overnight. For a dinner party or celebration, invitado is the appropriate word.
- What is the plural of huésped?
- Huéspedes is the plural form, with the accent remaining on the same syllable. This word is one of the few Spanish nouns ending in a consonant that simply adds -es for the plural.
- How do I say 'guest list' in Spanish?
- A guest list is lista de invitados. If you're at a hotel, a registry of guests might be called registro de huéspedes, but lista de invitados is the phrase for event planning.