Spanish vocabulary · Intermediate
Seizure in Spanish: Convulsión, Ataque Epiléptico, and What to Say in an Emergency
Convulsión · noun (feminine) · kohn-vool-see-OHN
Seizure in Spanish is convulsión in everyday and clinical use. For an epileptic seizure specifically, you'll often hear ataque epiléptico. In medical writing, crisis convulsiva is the formal term. All three describe the same event with different levels of detail.
Convulsión is pronounced kohn-vool-see-OHN. The accent on ó marks the stress: the final syllable. The double-l is two soft consonants run together; don't roll it like a Spanish ll.
Tuvo una convulsión y llamamos a la ambulancia.
She had a seizure and we called the ambulance.
Seizure in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for seizure, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| convulsión | seizure | kohn-vool-see-OHN | Default, widely understood |
| ataque epiléptico | seizure | specifically for epileptic seizures, more clinical | |
| crisis convulsiva | seizure | medical writing, formal | |
| ataque | seizure | casual, often paired with epiléptico for clarity |
How Native Speakers Use Convulsión
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Telling a doctor what happened
Mi hijo tuvo una convulsión que duró dos minutos.
My son had a seizure that lasted two minutes.
Default medical-emergency phrasing. Tener una convulsión is the standard verb pattern.
Asking about epilepsy
Tiene epilepsia y a veces le dan ataques epilépticos.
He has epilepsy and sometimes has epileptic seizures.
When epilepsy is the cause, ataque epiléptico is the natural collocation. Note dar (to give) used reflexively for the seizure happening to him.
Reading a medical report
El paciente presentó una crisis convulsiva al ingresar.
The patient presented with a seizure on admission.
Formal medical writing. Crisis convulsiva and presentar are the chart-style verbs you'll see in hospital documentation.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Convulsión
Confusing convulsión with seguro / ataque (heart attack)
Incorrect: Tuvo un ataque al corazón y se desmayó.
Correct: Tuvo una convulsión y se desmayó.
Ataque al corazón is a heart attack, completely different. Use convulsión or ataque epiléptico for the seizure event. Be specific in medical situations.
Pronouncing it like English seizure
Incorrect: see-zhur
Correct: kohn-vool-see-OHN
There's no shortcut here, the Spanish word doesn't sound like the English. Hearing it from a real Spanish speaker once is faster than reading any phonetic guide.
Lock in Seizure 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 Convulsión used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using convulsión in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Tuvo una convulsión y llamamos a la ambulancia. 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 Seizure in Spanish
- How do you say seizure in Spanish?
- Seizure in Spanish is convulsión. For an epileptic seizure specifically, ataque epiléptico is the natural phrase. Tuvo una convulsión means She had a seizure. In formal medical writing, crisis convulsiva is also common.
- How do you pronounce convulsión?
- Convulsión is pronounced kohn-vool-see-OHN. Stress falls on the final syllable (the ó accent marks it). The s in vol-see-on is just an s, not a z, even in regions that use seseo.
- What's the difference between convulsión and ataque epiléptico?
- Convulsión is the general medical term for any seizure event, regardless of cause. Ataque epiléptico specifies that the seizure is caused by epilepsy. Use convulsión when you don't know the cause or when speaking generally; use ataque epiléptico when epilepsy is established.
- How do I remember seizure in Spanish?
- Listen to medical Spanish content (telenovelas hospital scenes, medical interviews, EMT training videos). Parrot's content includes real-life medical and family-emergency contexts so convulsión sticks with situational meaning, not just vocabulary.