Spanish Words That Start With D: 150+ Must-Know Terms

Get Digging into Spanish D-O words! The “D” is a dynamo in Spanish — consider dar for giving or día for days or dulce for sweet treats.

From dedo (pronounced deh-doh) pointing to disfrutar (dis-frooh-tar) enjoying life, this guide’s got the meanings, the pronunciations, the examples and the tips to nail that “D” sound.

Whether you are a Spanish beginner or leveling up, these “D” words will give you a supercharged boost in your Spanish fluency. So let’s get into this yummy company of ”D”! – by learning Spanish words that start with D.

Why “D” Matters in Spanish

“D” is the fourth letter in the Spanish alphabet, and it’s a workhorse. It is made as the English “d” in “day” at the beginning or after “n”/“l” (dar, DAHR), but softens to a “th” (as in “this”) between vowels or as an ending (dedo, DEH-thoh).

Why master “D” words? They’re the backbone of everyday Spanish — actions, descriptions, objects, you name it. Master these, and you’re speaking stylishly in no time. Let’s get started!

150+ Spanish Words That Start With D

Here’s every key “D” word we’ve found, in a table for easy browsing.

Spanish Word	English Meaning	Pronunciation	Vibe Check
dactilar	Fingerprint-related	dak-TEE-lahr	CSI vibes.
dado	Die (dice)	DAH-doh	Game night.
dama	Lady	DAH-mah	Classy gal.
danza	Dance	DAHN-sah	Groove on.
daño	Damage	DAH-nyoh	Oops fix.
dar	To give	DAHR	Gift guru.
dato	Data	DAH-toh	Info nugget.
debatir	To debate	deh-bah-TEER	Argue it out.
deber	Duty/to owe	deh-BEHR	Gotta do.
debajo	Below	deh-BAH-hoh	Under there.
débil	Weak	DEH-beel	Soft spot.
decidir	To decide	deh-see-DEER	Pick it!
décimo	Tenth	DEH-see-moh	Number 10.
decoración	Decoration	deh-koh-rah-SYOHN	Spruce up.
decir	To say	deh-SEER	Speak up.
dedicar	To dedicate	deh-dee-KAHR	For you!
dedo	Finger	DEH-thoh	Point it.
defender	To defend	deh-fen-DEHR	Shield on.
dejar	To leave/let	deh-HAHR	Drop it.
delante	In front	deh-LAHN-teh	Up ahead.
delicioso	Delicious	deh-lee-SYOH-soh	Yum yum!
delfín	Dolphin	del-FEEN	Sea pal.
demanda	Demand	deh-MAHN-dah	Want now.
demasiado	Too much	deh-mah-SYAH-doh	Overload.
demostrar	To demonstrate	deh-mohs-TRAHR	Show off.
denso	Dense	DEN-soh	Thick stuff.
dentista	Dentist	den-TEES-tah	Tooth doc.
depender	To depend	deh-pen-DEHR	Rely on.
departamento	Department/apartment	deh-par-tah-MEN-toh	Space or squad.
deporte	Sport	deh-POR-teh	Game on!
derecha	Right (direction)	deh-REH-chah	Turn this way.
desafío	Challenge	deh-sah-FEE-oh	Dare ya!
desarrollo	Development	deh-sah-RROH-yoh	Growth spurt.
desayunar	To have breakfast	deh-sah-yoo-NAHR	Morning bite.
desayuno	Breakfast	deh-sah-YOO-noh	First meal.
descansar	To rest	des-KAHN-sahr	Chill out.
descanso	Rest	des-KAHN-soh	Nap break.
describir	To describe	des-KREE-beer	Paint it.
descubrir	To discover	des-koo-BREER	Find it!
desear	To wish	deh-seh-AHR	Hope so.
desierto	Desert	deh-SYER-toh	Sandy stretch.
desnudo	Naked	des-NOO-doh	Bare it.
despacio	Slowly	des-PAH-syoh	Take it easy.
despertar	To wake up	des-per-TAHR	Rise up!
después	After	des-PWES	Next up.
destruir	To destroy	des-troo-EER	Smash it.
detalle	Detail	deh-TAH-yeh	Fine point.
día	Day	DEE-ah	Sun’s up!
diablo	Devil	DYAH-bloh	Bad boy.
diamante	Diamond	dyah-MAHN-teh	Shiny rock.
dibujar	To draw	dee-boo-HAHR	Sketch it.
dibujo	Drawing	dee-BOO-hoh	Art piece.
diciembre	December	dee-SYEM-breh	Winter month.
dictadura	Dictatorship	deek-tah-DOO-rah	Iron rule.
diente	Tooth	DYEN-teh	Chomper.
diferencia	Difference	dee-feh-REN-syah	Not the same.
diferente	Different	dee-feh-REN-teh	Unique twist.
difícil	Difficult	dee-FEE-seel	Tough nut.
dinero	Money	dee-NEH-roh	Cash flow.
dios	God	DYOHSS	Big boss.
diariamente	Daily	dyah-ryah-MEN-teh	Every day.
dirección	Direction/address	dee-rek-SYOHN	Where to?
directamente	Directly	dee-rek-tah-MEN-teh	Straight shot.
disciplina	Discipline	dees-see-PLEE-nah	Stay in line.
disco	Disc/disco	DEES-koh	Spin or dance.
diseñar	To design	dee-seh-NYAHR	Create it.
diseño	Design	dee-SEH-nyoh	Plan art.
disfrutar	To enjoy	dees-froo-TAHR	Have fun!
distancia	Distance	dees-TAHN-syah	Far off.
discutir	To discuss	dees-koo-TEER	Talk it out.
diversión	Fun	dee-ver-SYOHN	Good times.
divertido	Fun	dee-ver-TEE-doh	Laugh riot.
doctor	Doctor	DOK-tor	Heal pro.
documento	Document	doh-koo-MEN-toh	Paper proof.
dolor	Pain	doh-LOR	Ouch zone.
domingo	Sunday	doh-MEEN-goh	Rest day.
dormir	To sleep	dor-MEER	Snooze on.
dormitorio	Bedroom	dor-mee-TOH-ryoh	Sleep cave.
duda	Doubt	DOO-dah	Hmm, maybe?
dulce	Sweet/candy	DOOL-seh	Sugar rush.
dulzura	Sweetness	dool-SOO-rah	Sweet vibe.
durante	During	doo-RAHN-teh	While it’s on.
durar	To last	doo-RAHR	Keep going.
duro	Hard	DOO-roh	Tough stuff.
debilidad	Weakness	deh-bee-lee-DAHD	Soft spot.
decisión	Decision	deh-see-SYOHN	Choice call.
declarar	To declare	deh-klah-RAHR	Say it loud.
defensa	Defense	deh-FEN-sah	Guard up.
definir	To define	deh-fee-NEER	Pin it down.
delgado	Thin	del-GAH-doh	Slim fit.
democracia	Democracy	deh-moh-KRAH-syah	People rule.
densidad	Density	den-see-DAHD	Thick measure.
depositar	To deposit	deh-poh-see-TAHR	Bank it.
derrota	Defeat	deh-RROH-tah	Loss sting.
desaparecer	To disappear	deh-sah-pah-reh-SEHR	Poof gone!
desastre	Disaster	deh-SAH-streh	Big mess.
desbloquear	To unlock	des-bloh-keh-AHR	Open up.
descalzo	Barefoot	des-KAHL-soh	No shoes.
descargar	To download	des-KAR-gahr	Grab online.
desconocido	Unknown	des-koh-noh-SEE-doh	Mystery man.
descuento	Discount	des-KWEN-toh	Deal time.
deseo	Desire	deh-SEH-oh	Want it.
desfile	Parade	des-FEE-leh	March on.
desgracia	Misfortune	des-GRAH-syah	Bad luck.
deshacer	To undo	des-ah-SEHR	Backtrack.
deslizar	To slide	des-lee-SAHR	Slip down.
desorden	Disorder	des-OR-den	Chaos zone.
despejado	Clear	des-peh-HAH-doh	Wide open.
destino	Destination	des-TEE-noh	End spot.
destrucción	Destruction	des-trook-SYOHN	Wreck it.
detener	To stop	deh-teh-NEHR	Halt now.
deuda	Debt	DEH-oo-dah	Owe ya.
diagonal	Diagonal	dyah-goh-NAHL	Slash line.
diagrama	Diagram	dyah-GRAH-mah	Sketch plan.
dialogar	To dialogue	dyah-loh-GAHR	Chat it.
dieta	Diet	DYEH-tah	Food rules.
dificultad	Difficulty	dee-fee-kool-TAHD	Hard part.
dignidad	Dignity	deeg-nee-DAHD	Pride high.
diluir	To dilute	dee-loo-EER	Water down.
dimensión	Dimension	dee-men-SYOHN	Size up.
dinámica	Dynamic	dee-NAH-mee-kah	Energy burst.
diploma	Diploma	dee-PLOH-mah	Grad win.
disculpa	Apology	dees-KOOL-pah	Sorry bout that.
disminuir	To decrease	dees-mee-noo-EER	Shrink back.
disparar	To shoot	dees-pah-RAHR	Fire away.
dispositivo	Device	dees-poh-SEE-tee-voh	Gadget life.
distinto	Distinct	dees-TEEN-toh	Stand out.
dividir	To divide	dee-vee-DEER	Split it.
divorcio	Divorce	dee-VOR-syoh	Break free.
doble	Double	DOH-bleh	Twice nice.
docena	Dozen	doh-SEH-nah	Twelve pack.
doctrina	Doctrine	dok-TREE-nah	Belief set.
doler	To hurt	doh-LEHR	Pain hit.
dominación	Domination	doh-mee-nah-SYOHN	Rule all.
donar	To donate	doh-NAHR	Give big.
droga	Drug	DROH-gah	Med or more.
ducha	Shower	DOO-chah	Rinse off.
dueño	Owner	DWEH-nyoh	Boss man.
durable	Durable	doo-RAH-bleh	Lasts long.
duración	Duration	doo-rah-SYOHN	Time span.
década	Decade	DEH-kah-dah	Ten years.
deformar	To deform	deh-for-MAHR	Twist it.
despertador	Alarm clock	des-per-tah-DOR	Wake call.

Full Scope Note: This is 150+ of the 1,000+ “D” words out there! HowIsMySpanish.com lists everything from dabuten (cool) to dúplica (reply)—we’ve got the cream of the crop here, but the total’s massive for word geeks.

Pronunciation 101: “D” Done Right

“D” in Spanish has two sounds:

• Hard “D”: Like English “day”—at the start or after “n”/”l” (dar, DAHR; andar, ahn-DAHR).
• Soft “D”: Like “th” in “this”—between vowels or at the end (dedo, DEH-thoh; ciudad, syoo-THAHD).
• Practice: Hard with día (DEE-ah), soft with duda (DOO-thah)—feel the shift!

Real-Life Examples: “D” in Action

Here’s how to use these in convo:

1. Dar: “Voy a dar un dibujo a mi dueño.”
   (“I’ll give a drawing to my owner.”)
2. Día: “Es un día delicioso para descansar.”
   (“It’s a delicious day to rest.”)
3. Decir: “Dije que el diente duele.”
   (“I said the tooth hurts.”)
4. Dormir: “Quiero dormir en mi dormitorio.”
   (“I want to sleep in my bedroom.”)
5. Dinero: “Necesito dinero para el desayuno.”
   (“I need money for breakfast.”)
6. Dulce: “El dulce es divertido de comer.”
   (“The candy is fun to eat.”)
7. Dejar: “Dejé mi dedo en la dirección.”
   (“I left my finger in the direction.”)
8. Difícil: “Es difícil descubrir el destino.”
   (“It’s difficult to discover the destination.”)
9. Disfrutar: “Voy a disfrutar del desfile.”
   (“I’ll enjoy the parade.”)
10. Despertar: “El despertador me despertó.”
    (“The alarm clock woke me up.”)

Bonus “D” Gems and Fun Facts

• daga – Dagger (DAH-gah)
• disfraz – Costume (dees-FRAHS)
• diligencia – Diligence (dee-lee-HEN-syah)
• Fun Fact: “D” comes from the Latin “de,” tracing back to ancient Semitic “daleth” (door)—it’s opened language doors for millennia!

Memorize Like a Pro: “D” Hacks

• Group ‘Em: Actions (dar, decir), things (día, dinero), feels (delicioso, difícil).
• Say It: “Doy un dulce cada día despacio.”
• Use It: Drop duda or después in chats—practice rocks!

Spanish Heart

“D” words are basics in Spanish — dar gives love, día counts time, disfrutar enjoys life. They are woven into culture, from Mexico’s desayuno to Spain’s danza. Get this down, and you’re not just chatting — you’re thriving.

More cred? Peek at the California Department of Education’s English-Spanish Glossary—it’s a learner’s goldmine!

Final Thoughts: You’re a “D” Dynamo!

And there you have it! —150+ Spanish words beginning with D, dactilar through despertador, all in one mega-guide.

They’re a must, kinetic, and your fast track to fluency. So: goodbye “D”s, and welcome to a better Spanish. What’s your top “D” pick? Let me know in the comments, and let’s keep the fiesta española going!

Related Post: Spanish Learning Resources