Spanish vocabulary · Intermediate
How to Say Stiff in Spanish: Rígido
Rígido · adjective · REE-hee-doh
Stiff in Spanish is rígido for general stiffness, tieso for colloquial body stiffness, and duro for materials that are hard and inflexible. The best choice depends on whether you are describing a physical sensation, posture, or material property.
Rígido is pronounced REE-hee-doh, with the stress on the first syllable. The accent mark on the i signals that stress.
Tengo el cuello muy rígido después de dormir mal.
My neck is very stiff after sleeping badly.
Stiff in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for stiff, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| rígido | stiff | REE-hee-doh | Default, widely understood |
| tieso | stiff | colloquial, stiff body or stiff posture | |
| duro | stiff | hard or stiff material |
How Native Speakers Use Rígido
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Muscle stiffness
Mis piernas están tiesas después del entrenamiento.
My legs are stiff after the workout.
Describing post-exercise soreness.
Material description
Este cartón es demasiado rígido para doblarlo.
This cardboard is too stiff to fold.
Handling packaging or craft materials.
Formal behavior
Se puso muy tieso cuando el jefe entró a la oficina.
He got very stiff when the boss entered the office.
Describing someone becoming tense and formal in a professional setting.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Rígido
Using rígido for all contexts
Incorrect: Mi espalda está rígida de tanto trabajar.
Correct: Mi espalda está tiesa de tanto trabajar.
While rígido is not wrong, tieso is more natural and idiomatic when describing body stiffness from exertion.
Forgetting the accent on rígido
Incorrect: El material es rigido.
Correct: El material es rígido.
The accent mark is required on the first i to indicate the correct stress pattern; without it, the word is misspelled.
Lock in Stiff 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 Rígido used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using rígido in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Tengo el cuello muy rígido después de dormir mal. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
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Common Questions About Stiff in Spanish
- How do you say stiff in Spanish?
- The main translations are rígido for general or formal stiffness, tieso for body-related stiffness in casual speech, and duro for hard, inflexible materials.
- When should I use tieso versus rígido?
- Tieso is more conversational and often used for physical sensations like stiff muscles or nervous posture, while rígido is broader and fits formal, technical, or figurative contexts.
- How do you say 'stiff neck' in Spanish?
- A stiff neck is typically called tortícolis in medical Spanish, though cuello rígido or cuello tieso are commonly understood in everyday conversation.