Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Singer in Spanish: Cantante, Vocalista, and Intérprete
Cantante · noun (masculine/feminine) · kahn-TAHN-teh
Singer in Spanish is cantante (kahn-TAHN-teh), used for male and female singers alike. The article changes for gender: el cantante (male), la cantante (female). Vocalista is a band vocalist, and intérprete is a formal term for a song performer.
Cantante is kahn-TAHN-teh, three syllables, stress on TAHN.
La cantante interpretó una balada que emocionó al público.
The singer performed a ballad that moved the audience.
Singer in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for singer, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| cantante | singer | kahn-TAHN-teh | Default, widely understood |
| vocalista | singer | vocalist (in a band) | |
| intérprete | singer | performer, interpreter of songs | |
| cantor / cantora | singer | singer (literary or religious) |
How Native Speakers Use Cantante
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
A professional singer
Mi prima es cantante profesional de ópera.
My cousin is a professional opera singer.
Cantante works for all genres from pop to opera.
Lead vocalist
El vocalista de la banda dejó el grupo el año pasado.
The band's lead singer left the group last year.
Vocalista specifies the role within a musical group.
Favorite singer
¿Quién es tu cantante favorito?
Who is your favorite singer?
Favorito agrees with cantante's grammatical gender set by the article.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Cantante
Inventing a feminine form
Incorrect: Ella es una cantanta famosa.
Correct: Ella es una cantante famosa.
Cantante does not change form for gender. It ends in -e and stays cantante for both sexes; only the article changes.
Confusing cantante with canción
Incorrect: Escuché un cantante muy bonito. (meaning a song)
Correct: Escuché una canción muy bonita.
Cantante is the person who sings; canción is the song itself.
Lock in Singer 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 Cantante used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using cantante in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear La cantante interpretó una balada que emocionó al público. 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 Singer in Spanish
- How do you say singer in Spanish?
- Singer is cantante (kahn-TAHN-teh). Use el cantante for a male singer and la cantante for a female singer.
- Does cantante change for masculine and feminine?
- No, the word itself stays cantante. Only the article changes: el cantante (male), la cantante (female).
- What is the verb 'to sing' in Spanish?
- To sing is cantar, a regular -ar verb. Cantante derives from it, just like how 'singer' comes from 'sing.'