Writing Inclusive Spanish

Regional Variations In Spanish

Spanish is the official language in 21 countries, primarily spoken in South and Central America and Spain, with significant use also in parts of Africa and Asia. With over 577 million people worldwide speaking Spanish as their first or second language, it is no surprise that the language varies across regions.

In the United States, nearly 18% of the population speaks Spanish, and this segment is rapidly growing. Even though Spanish speakers can understand each other across dialects, words and terms often differ. Conducting user testing helps determine which terms will be most universally understood.

Synonyms

Providing synonyms and alternative vocabulary ensures content resonates with users from different countries and age groups. Below are some words for which we suggest including synonyms in Spanish, based on user testing—for some of those cases we recommend including the word in English.

Word in English	Words in Spanish
Check your pay stubs or W2 to confirm your employer's name.	Revise sus talonarios de pago/recibos (pay stubs) o su W2 para confirmar el nombre de su empleador/a.
Complete your union membership information.	Complete los datos de su gremio/unión de trabajadores/as.

See our comprehensive list of recommended synonyms in our Plain Spanish Glossary of Unemployment Insurance Terms.

Gender-Inclusive Language

Spanish pronouns, nouns, and adjectives are gendered as female or male, usually ending with “A” for female and with “O” or “E” for male.

English	Spanish
“Worker” (female)	La trabajadora
“Worker” (male)	El trabajador
“Employer” (female)	La empleadora
“Employer” (male)	El empleador

Gendered grammar can reinforce biases. If we say “doctores” (male) and “niñeras” (female), we are reinforcing the assumption that, by default, all doctors are men and all nannies are women.

Today there are new ways to be more inclusive in Spanish, such as saying “les niñes” instead of “los niños.” However, this particular usage is not yet widespread. Until this approach is more widely adopted, we do not recommend using this format in government communications with Spanish speakers.

We recommend the following approaches, in order of preference:

	Gender-specific (don’t say)	Gender inclusive (say)
Refers to groups of people instead of particular individuals, and uses more nouns instead of gendered adjectives	Los trabajadores	El grupo de trabajadores
	Los hispanos	Personas hispanas
	Dueño	Persona propietaria
	Manténgase contactado con su seguro médico	Manténgase en contacto con su seguro médico
	¿Es ciudadano de los Estados Unidos?	¿Tiene la ciudadanía de los Estados Unidos?
	Los directores decidieron… Los secretarios harán… Los presidentes son..	Dirección decidió… Secretaría hará… Presidencia se compone por..
Use “usted”	El solicitante debe completar…	Usted debe completar…
Use non personal forms	El solicitante debe completar…	Es necesario completar…
Say/write both	Los trabajadores	Las trabajadoras y los trabajadores
Combine feminine and masculine (or masculine and feminine), using a “/,” when any of the previous options are not possible	Hermano	Hermana/o
	Despedido	Despedida/o
	Empleador	Empleador/a
	Doctor	Doctor/a
	Niñeras	Niñeros/as

Learn more about gender-inclusive communication in Spanish from (Re)Nombrar, created by the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity of Argentina.

Inclusive Language For Identity

Ability and Disability

Labeling someone by a disease or disability can feel dehumanizing. Use language that upholds dignity.

When discussing disability in both in English and Spanish:

• Focus on the person first, not the disability.

  • Say "a person with a disability" rather than "disabled person."

  • In Spanish, say “tiene una discapacidad” (has a disability) rather than “es discapacitado/a” (is disabled).

• Use impartial, non-judgmental language.

  • Indicate that someone “has multiple sclerosis”, not that they “suffer from multiple sclerosis.”

  • Use terms like “accessible parking” instead of “handicapped parking” and “accessible restroom” instead of “disabled restroom.”

• Specify a disability only if relevant. Avoid generalizations.

• Avoid stigmatizing terms related to disability or mental health (e.g. crazy, dumb, lame, insane, or stupid) or sensory issues (e.g. blind spot or tone deaf).

• Ask individuals and groups directly about preferred terminology, as language evolves.

	Don’t say	Say
English	People who suffer from multiple sclerosis	People who have multiple sclerosis
Spanish	Personas que sufren de esclerosis múltiple	Personas que tienen esclerosis múltiple
English	Insane	Unreasonable, improper
Spanish	Demente	Poco reasonable, inapropiado

“Incapacidad” and “Discapacidad”

Use "incapacidad laboral" when discussing workers' inability to work as a result of a physical or mental illness.

⚠️ A common mistake in Spanish is to use the words “incapacidad” and “discapacidad” interchangeably when these words have different meanings. "Incapacidad" translates to an inability or lack of capability. "Discapacidad" translates to a disability.

The distinction matters. "Incapacidad laboral" focuses on impacts in a work context. Using the right term avoids incorrect assumptions that a disability inherently precludes working.

This table shows the definitions according to Real Academia Española.

	English	Spanish
Discapacidad	A situation where a person who, due to their physical, sensory, intellectual or mental conditions, encounters challenges in their participation and social inclusion.	Situación de la persona que, por sus condiciones físicas, sensoriales, intelectuales o mentales duraderas, encuentra dificultades para su participación e inclusión social.
Incapacidad	Lack of ability to do, receive or learn something.	Falta de capacidad para hacer, recibir o aprender algo.
Incapacidad Laboral	A situation of illness or physical or mental illness that prevents a person, temporarily or permanently, from carrying out a professional activity and which normally entitles them to a social security benefit.	Situación de enfermedad o de padecimiento físico o psíquico que impide a una persona, de manera transitoria o definitiva, realizar una actividad profesional y que normalmente da derecho a una prestación de la seguridad social.

Nationality, Race, Ethnicity, and Religion

Refer to "people" or "the public" when discussing government services.

	Don’t say	Say
English	Citizen, resident	People, the public, users, folks, the audience, the community
Spanish	Ciudadano, residente	La gente, el público, las y los usuarios, la audiencia

Be specific about groups without stereotyping (even stereotypes that may appear to be positive). Avoid imagery or language reinforcing stereotypes. For example:

• Use “people who need healthcare” or “people who need to access government services online”.

• Avoid the term nonwhite, or other terms that treat whiteness as a default.

• Use adjectives, not nouns, for race or ethnicity. For example, a “Hispanic person” not “a Hispanic.”

	Don’t say	Say
English	Colombians	People from Colombia
Spanish	Colombianos	Personas de Colombia

💡 You may have noticed we avoid phrases that frame people who need language access as deficient. For example, we avoid terms like "limited English proficiency" or "non-English speaker." Similarly, "English as a second language (ESL)" has negative connotations, especially for young people in the U.S. school system.

Instead, we use positive framing, such as "primary Spanish speaker" or "people whose primary language is other than English" (PLOE)—a term coined by language access researcher Dani Carillo.

Visit this American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide to learn more about Bias-Free Language.

Idioms

Avoid idioms and figurative phrases that may not translate literally into Spanish. Idiomatic expressions like "it's raining cats and dogs" can seem confusing or nonsensical when translated word-for-word.