Women simply love jewelry and my mom is one of them. Genuine or costume, the bling-bling always amazes her. If you want to flatter a Spanish-speaking lady with a pair of earrings, you will need to take some notes on how to many words there are in Spanish for this word.
The Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy approved the words arete, aro, pendiente and zarcillo. Just there you have four words for earring that you can basically used all over Latin America and Spain. Be aware that the word aro also can mean a ring or hoop.
More Words for EARRING in Spanish
The Royal Spanish Academy gave us four words for earrings above. Now the part that we love: the Spanish differences among countries.
1. Arito: The diminutive for the word aro can be heard in Honduras and Argentina.
2. Pantalla: For others it is a screen (movie or TV), but in Puerto Rico it is the most common word for earring.
3. Topo: This word is used in Colombia
4. Caravana: It is the word used in Uruguay for earring. It can also mean caravan.
5. Chapa: This word is often used in Nicaragua. In other countries it is the cap for glass bottles.
Earring Types in Spanish
Here are a couple of words in Spanish that you can use when looking for a specific type of earring.
1. Pendiente: In some countries it may be the general term for an earring, but in others it is an earring with a pendant.
2. Arracada: An earring with a pendant.
3. Argolla: Earring in the form of a hoop.
4. Dormilona: A stud earring generally with a pearl or stone.
5. Candonga: Colombian word with African roots. It is an earring in the form of a hoop.
Hoop Earrings in Spanish and Latin America
Why Do Latinas Love them? It’s tradition in many Latino communities for girls to have pierced ears from infancy so earrings are a part of growing up. Many girls grow up seeing their sisters, mothers, grandmothers putting in hoops (commonly known as argollas in Spanish) everyday so that style has a special place in their jewelry box and their hearts.
I have adult friends who inherited her grandmother’s hoop earring collection and they always comment about how what you would see in the 50’s, is still on trend today. Think global powerhouses like Tina Turner or Diana Ross, when these divas were everywhere, so were these gorgeous big hoop earrings.
Oddly enough in the US, the style became popular after experts looked at what was found in King Tut’s tomb in the 30’s. I mean, if it was good enough for a king… Historically, hoops have been around almost as long as humans have, worn by kings and queens to symbolize power and status.
The hoop look was also the cornerstone of the Jennifer Lopez, Christina Agulera and Beyonce aesthetic – circa 1990’s. Fun fact, while fashion is cyclical, the simple gold hoop earring (argolla de oro) is considered one of the longest running fashion trends by historians.
So here you go, 14+ words for EARRING in Spanish.
Check out these other articles about the Spanish Language.
Featured photo credits: Earrings by Rubyran via flickr
