Free Spanish word list

Advanced Spanish Vocabulary: 100 C1–C2 Words

C1 and C2 vocabulary is what separates fluent speakers from native-like ones: the words of newspapers, literature, contracts, and heated debate. The 100 words below are the most frequent items from the C1 and C2 bands of our 10,000-word corpus.

At this level you already know a common word for almost everything — advanced vocabulary is about register and shade of meaning. La soberanía, el ámbito, and plantear rarely appear in textbooks, but they are everywhere in real written Spanish.

Because these words are rare in everyday speech, spaced testing is the only reliable way to keep them. Lingular treats advanced words as high-value targets: they earn the most XP and the game keeps probing them long after your first correct answer.

Practice these words free All word lists

100 words ordered by frequency — lower numbers appear more often in real Spanish.
#	Spanish	English	Example
1	plantear	to suggest	El jefe planteó una nueva idea en la reunión.The boss suggested a new idea in the meeting.
2	exponer	to expose	El periodista va a exponer la corrupción en su artículo.The journalist is going to expose the corruption in his article.
3	invadir	to invade	Las fuerzas enemigas invadieron la ciudad.The enemy forces invaded the city.
4	inicializar	to initialize	Necesito inicializar el sistema antes de usarlo.I need to initialize the system before using it.
5	promulgar	to pass	El gobierno va a promulgar una nueva ley.The government is going to pass a new law.
6	faltar a	to miss	Hoy no puedo faltar a la reunión.I can’t miss the meeting today.
7	salivar	to salivate	Al ver la comida, comencé a salivar.I started to salivate when I saw the food.
8	incumbir	to concern	Ese asunto no me incumbe.That matter does not concern me.
9	concernir	to concern	Me preocupa lo que pueda concernir a la seguridad.I’m worried about what may concern safety.
10	moldear	to mold	El escultor moldeó el barro con sus manos.The sculptor molded the clay with his hands.
11	dejar k.o.	to knock out	El boxeador dejó K.O. a su oponente en el segundo round.The boxer knocked out his opponent in the second round.
12	interrumpir	to interrupt	No me gusta que me interrumpan cuando hablo.I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m speaking.
13	latir	to beat	Mi corazón late muy rápido cuando hago ejercicio.My heart beats very fast when I exercise.
14	palpitar	to palpitate	Mi pulso comenzó a palpitar después del susto.My pulse started to palpitate after the scare.
15	machacar	to crush	El martillo machacó la piedra en pedazos.The hammer crushed the stone into pieces.
16	destrozar	to destroy	El terremoto destruyó la ciudad completamente.The earthquake destroyed the city completely.
17	lijar	to sand	Necesitamos lijar la madera antes de pintarla.We need to sand the wood before painting it.
18	pulir	to polish	Ella pulió el mueble hasta que brilló.She polished the furniture until it shone.
19	entrar a	to enter	Tienes que entrar a la sala de juntas para la reunión.You need to enter the meeting room for the meeting.
20	acceder a	to access	Solo los empleados pueden acceder a esa área.Only employees can access that area.
21	minar	to mine	La empresa está minando el oro en esta región.The company is mining gold in this region.
22	nivelar	to level	Debemos nivelar el terreno antes de construir.We must level the land before building.
23	avasallar	to subjugate	El ejército trató de avasallar a los pueblos cercanos.The army tried to subjugate the nearby towns.
24	razonar	to reason	Necesitamos razonar nuestras decisiones antes de actuar.We need to reason through our decisions before acting.
25	propulsar	to propel	El motor está diseñado para propulsar el cohete al espacio.The engine is designed to propel the rocket into space.
26	bajarse	to get off	Ella se bajó del autobús en la siguiente parada.She got off the bus at the next stop.
27	posponer	to postpone	Decidieron posponer la reunión hasta el lunes.They decided to postpone the meeting until Monday.
28	centrarse en	to focus on	Es importante centrarse en los detalles más pequeños.It’s important to focus on the smallest details.
29	pasar el rato	to pass the time	Nos gustaba pasar el rato en el parque.We liked to pass the time in the park.
30	enumerar	to enumerate	El profesor comenzó a enumerar los temas del examen.The teacher started to enumerate the topics of the exam.
31	comerciar	to trade	En este mercado se comercian productos locales.Local products are traded at this market.
32	enviar por correo exprés	to send by express mail	Decidí enviar por correo exprés el paquete urgente.I decided to send the urgent package by express mail.
33	sortear	to draw lots for	La escuela decidió sortear los premios entre los estudiantes.The school decided to draw lots for the prizes among the students.
34	intermediar	to mediate	El gobierno intentó intermediar en las conversaciones.The government tried to mediate in the conversations.
35	soplar	to blow	El viento soplaba con mucha fuerza en la costa.The wind blew strongly along the coast.
36	motivar	to motivate	El entrenador sabe cómo motivar a sus jugadores.The coach knows how to motivate his players.
37	dar lugar a	to cause	La falta de lluvia dio lugar a una sequía severa.The lack of rain caused a severe drought.
38	amanecer	to dawn	El sol comenzó a amanecer sobre las montañas.The sun began to dawn over the mountains.
39	tocar fondo	to touch the bottom	Después de perder su empleo, sintió que tocaba fondo.After losing his job, he felt like he touched the bottom.
40	pronosticar	to predict	Los meteorólogos pronosticaron lluvia para el fin de semana.The meteorologists predicted rain for the weekend.
41	inclinar	to tilt	La torre se inclinó por el terremoto.The tower tilted due to the earthquake.
42	toquetear	to handle	No debes toquetear los instrumentos sin permiso.You shouldn’t handle the instruments without permission.
43	exceptuar	to except	El nuevo reglamento exceptúa a los estudiantes con discapacidad.The new regulation excepts students with disabilities.
44	estructurar	to structure	Necesitamos estructurar mejor nuestra estrategia de marketing.We need to structure our marketing strategy better.
45	inyectar	to inject	El médico tuvo que inyectar el medicamento en su brazo.The doctor had to inject the medication into his arm.
46	bendecir	to bless	El sacerdote bendijo la casa antes de la mudanza.The priest blessed the house before the move.
47	hacer gestos	to gesture	El profesor hizo gestos para que los estudiantes prestaran atención.The teacher gestured for the students to pay attention.
48	provocar disturbios	to riot	Los manifestantes comenzaron a provocar disturbios en las calles.The protesters started to riot in the streets.
49	suministrar	to supply	La empresa suministra electricidad a la ciudad.The company supplies electricity to the city.
50	estipular	to stipulate	El contrato estipula que el pago debe realizarse al contado.The contract stipulates that the payment must be made in cash.
51	proporcionar	to provide	Este centro proporciona alimentos a las personas necesitadas.This center provides food to those in need.
52	dejar caer	to drop	Dejó caer el vaso por accidente.He dropped the glass by accident.
53	forrar	to cover	Necesito forrar el libro para que no se dañe.I need to cover the book so it doesn’t get damaged.
54	recubrir	to cover	Recubrieron el edificio con una capa de pintura nueva.They covered the building with a new layer of paint.
55	mirar a	to face	La casa mira a un hermoso jardín.The house faces a beautiful garden.
56	dar a	to give	El edificio da a la calle principal.The building gives (faces) the main street.
57	dar clases particulares	to tutor	Ella da clases particulares de matemáticas.She tutors math.
58	almacenar	to store	Es importante almacenar alimentos para el invierno.It’s important to store food for the winter.
59	albergar	to house	Este edificio alberga a varios refugiados.This building houses several refugees.
60	desportillar	to chip	El plato se desportilló cuando cayó al suelo.The plate chipped when it fell to the ground.
61	rendir	to produce	El campo está rindiendo una buena cosecha este año.The field is producing a good harvest this year.
62	representar	to represent	El abogado representa a su cliente en la corte.The lawyer represents his client in court.
63	negociar	to negotiate	Ellos negocian los precios de los productos antes de venderlos.They negotiate the prices of the products before selling them.
64	acercarse a	to approach	El perro se acercó a su dueño con cautela.The dog approached its owner cautiously.
65	halagar	to flatter	Me halagaron por mi presentación en la reunión.They flattered me for my presentation in the meeting.
66	hacer régimen	to be on a diet	Está haciendo régimen para perder peso.He’s on a diet to lose weight.
67	hacer dieta	to go on a diet	Decidí hacer dieta para sentirme mejor.I decided to go on a diet to feel better.
68	envolver	to wrap	Ella va a envolver el regalo.She is going to wrap the gift.
69	clarear	to lighten	El cielo comenzará a clarear al amanecer.The sky will begin to lighten at dawn.
70	dispersarse	to break up	Los niños comenzaron a dispersarse por el parque.The children began to break up in the park.
71	entresacar	to pick out	Ella intentó entresacar las piezas más importantes del libro.She tried to pick out the most important pieces from the book.
72	diluir	to dilute	Necesitas diluir la pintura antes de usarla.You need to dilute the paint before using it.
73	relacionar	to connect	No puedo relacionar estos dos conceptos.I can't connect these two concepts.
74	consentir	to allow	Los padres no consienten que sus hijos salgan tarde.The parents don’t allow their children to go out late.
75	divisar	to make out	Puedo divisar una figura en la distancia.I can make out a figure in the distance.
76	atar	to tie	Necesitas atar bien los zapatos.You need to tie your shoes tightly.
77	descodificar	to decode	Es difícil descodificar este mensaje.It's difficult to decode this message.
78	reasumir	to reassume	Después de la reunión, decidió reasumir su cargo.After the meeting, he decided to reassume his position.
79	pintarse	to put one's makeup on	Ella se pinta todos los días antes de ir a trabajar.She puts on her makeup every day before going to work.
80	afligir	to upset	La noticia le afligió mucho.The news upset him a lot.
81	desafiar	to challenge	El entrenador desafió a sus jugadores a mejorar.The coach challenged his players to improve.
82	idear	to devise	Necesitamos idear un plan para el proyecto.We need to devise a plan for the project.
83	salir bien	to go well	Todo salió bien en la fiesta.Everything went well at the party.
84	exculpar	to exonerate	El juez decidió exculpar al acusado.The judge decided to exonerate the defendant.
85	chivarse de	to tell on	No me gusta que te chives de mí.I don’t like it when you tell on me.
86	delatar	to inform on	El testigo delató al criminal.The witness informed on the criminal.
87	desentonar	to be out of place	Su comentario desentonó en la conversación.His comment was out of place in the conversation.
88	estrellar	to smash	El coche se estrelló contra un árbol.The car smashed into a tree.
89	estafar	to swindle	El hombre intentó estafar a la anciana.The man tried to swindle the elderly woman.
90	timar	to swindle	Ellos lo timaron con un negocio falso.They swindled him with a fake business deal.
91	chorrear	to drip	El grifo comenzó a chorrear agua.The faucet started to drip water.
92	dar un golpe	to hit	Juan le dio un golpe a la pelota.Juan hit the ball.
93	aterrizar de panza	to belly land	El avión tuvo que aterrizar de panza debido a un fallo.The plane had to belly land due to a failure.
94	arrasar	to raze to the ground	El incendio arrasó con todo el barrio.The fire razed the whole neighborhood to the ground.
95	quedar bien	to make a good impression	Siempre trato de quedar bien en las entrevistas.I always try to make a good impression in interviews.
96	nublar	to cloud	El cielo comenzó a nublarse antes de la tormenta.The sky began to cloud over before the storm.
97	torcer	to twist	Ella torció el tobillo mientras corría.She twisted her ankle while running.
98	enterrar	to bury	Vamos a enterrar las semillas en el jardín.We are going to bury the seeds in the garden.
99	bordar	to embroider	Mi abuela sabe bordar hermosos diseños.My grandmother knows how to embroider beautiful designs.
100	erigir	to build	Ellos van a erigir un monumento en la plaza.They are going to build a monument in the square.

How to actually learn these words

Anchor advanced words to real sources

When you meet one of these words in an article or film, save the sentence. A real encounter is worth ten artificial repetitions.

Learn formal and informal pairs

Many C-level words are the formal sibling of a word you know: efectuar vs. hacer, adquirir vs. comprar. Linking the pair makes both stick.

Write with them

Passive recognition comes quickly at this level; production does not. Use three new advanced words in written sentences of your own each week.

Turn this list into practice

Reading a word list once won't make it stick. Lingular turns these words into short recall prompts: correct answers earn XP, missed words return until you know them, and total rankings give you a reason to practise regularly. Free, in your browser, with no download.

Start practising How Lingular works

How to actually learn these words

Anchor advanced words to real sources

Learn formal and informal pairs

Write with them

Turn this list into practice

More free Spanish word lists

Law and Crime Words

Government and Politics Words

Banking Words

Social Media Words

Toys

Medical Spanish Vocabulary

Construction Spanish Vocabulary

Farm Words in Spanish

University Words in Spanish

Science Words in Spanish

Colombian Spanish Words

Puerto Rican Spanish Words

Chilean Spanish Words

Office Words in Spanish

Business Spanish Vocabulary

Film and TV Words in Spanish

Art Words in Spanish

Mexican Spanish Words

Spain vs Latin America: Spanish Words

Argentinian Spanish Words

Halloween Words in Spanish

Holidays in Spanish

Wedding Words in Spanish

Beautiful Spanish Words

Funny Spanish Words

Thanksgiving Words in Spanish

New Year Words in Spanish

Valentine's Day Words in Spanish

Easter Words in Spanish

Day of the Dead Words in Spanish

Spanish Words with Ñ

Spanish Quantifiers

Spanish Texting Abbreviations

Classroom Commands in Spanish

Email Phrases in Spanish

Spanish Filler Words

Spanish Reflexive Verbs

Spanish Diminutives

Spanish False Friends

Spanish Noun Gender Exceptions

Spanish Possessive Adjectives

Spanish Conjunctions

Spanish Transition Words

Spanish Negative Words

Verbs Like Gustar

Landforms in Spanish

Continents and Oceans in Spanish

Space and Planets in Spanish

Natural Disasters in Spanish

Environment Words in Spanish

Airport Words in Spanish

Hotel Words in Spanish

Beach Words in Spanish

Driving Words in Spanish

Parts of a Car in Spanish

Gym and Exercise Words in Spanish

Math Words in Spanish

Measurements in Spanish

Emergency Words in Spanish

Zodiac Signs in Spanish

Toiletries in Spanish

Tools in Spanish

Materials in Spanish

Relationships in Spanish

Soccer Words in Spanish

Musical Instruments in Spanish

Birds in Spanish

Plants and Flowers in Spanish

Spices and Herbs in Spanish

Cooking Verbs in Spanish

Restaurant Words in Spanish

Shopping in Spanish

Household Chores in Spanish

Illnesses and Symptoms in Spanish