Spanish word

isla

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈisla/

Meaning

  • feminine nounisland

Example

¿Dónde está la isla?

Where is the island?

Illustration for isla (island)

More examples

Vamos a pasar el fin de semana en la isla cercana.

We're going to spend the weekend on the nearby island.

Core concept

Land completely surrounded by water and treated as a single geographic unit.

Common phrases

  • isla desierta

    uninhabited island

  • isla turística

    island resort

  • isla cercana

    nearby island

Similar words

península: Land that juts into the sea while remaining attached to the mainland.
islote: Very small, isolated patch of land surrounded by water.
peñón: Large, rugged rock mass projecting out of the sea.

Definition in Spanish

Porción de tierra separada del continente y rodeada de agua, usada para nombrar territorios o accidentes geográficos.

Word origin

Isla comes from Latin insula via Old Spanish and shares the same root as English isle.

Usage tips

  • The noun is feminine, so it takes la for singular and las for plural, and many island place names include Isla as part of the name.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word