vverbsprint.
Free · No account needed
Home / Spanish drills / Noun gender: el or la
60-SECOND SPANISH DRILL

Spanish noun gender quiz: el or la?

Pick el or la for each noun as fast as you can. The drill focuses on the words that break the “-o is masculine, -a is feminine” rule, because those are the ones that trip everyone up.

0 correct60 sec

Get ready: 60 seconds on the clock.

Choose the right article: el or la.

Answers typed without accents still count, and we’ll show you the accented spelling. Your best score is saved only in this browser.

The basic rule, and why it isn’t enough

Most Spanish nouns ending in -o are masculine (el libro) and most ending in -a are feminine (la casa). That rule covers a lot, but some of the most common words in the language break it, and nouns ending in -e or a consonant follow no simple rule at all. This drill focuses on exactly those words.

Patterns that help

Usually feminine

  • -dad, -tad: la ciudad, la libertad
  • -ción, -sión: la canción, la televisión
  • -z (many): la luz, la nariz, la voz
  • -umbre: la costumbre

Usually masculine

  • -ma (from Greek): el problema, el tema, el sistema
  • -ón (not -ción): el corazón, el avión
  • Most consonants: el reloj, el árbol, el lápiz
  • Stressed final vowel: el sofá, el café

The exceptions everyone learns the hard way

NounWhy it’s surprising
el díaends in -a but is masculine
el mapaends in -a but is masculine
la manoends in -o but is feminine
la foto, la motoshort for fotografía and motocicleta
el aguafeminine, but takes el because it starts with a stressed a
la razónends in -ón but is feminine

How to make it stick

Never learn a noun on its own. Learn el problema and la mano, not problema and mano. When you add words to flashcards or notes, always write the article. For nouns ending in -e there’s no shortcut, so a quick daily round of this drill is the fastest way to build the instinct.