• 70 words
  • Checked October 2026

Cinco De Mayo Spelling Words

Words for May 5, from fiesta and Puebla to quesadilla and aficionado, with three lists English took from Spanish.

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List 1: Cinco de Mayo in ten words

Words to learn. Read each word, cover it, write it, then check it.

  1. 1.fiestaThe whole street came to the fiesta.
  2. 2.paradeDancers led the parade down Main Street.
  3. 3.PueblaThe battle took place at Puebla in 1862.
  4. 4.MexicoPuebla is a city in Mexico.
  5. 5.MayCinco de Mayo means the fifth of May.
  6. 6.fifthThe fifth is circled on our classroom calendar.
  7. 7.victoryThe day remembers a victory at Puebla.
  8. 8.musicMusic drifted across the square all afternoon.
  9. 9.danceOur class learned a folk dance for the day.
  10. 10.heritageFamilies share their Mexican heritage with pride.

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List 1: Cinco de Mayo in ten words 10

  • dance Our class learned a folk dance for the day.
  • fiesta The whole street came to the fiesta.
  • fifth The fifth is circled on our classroom calendar.
  • heritage Families share their Mexican heritage with pride.
  • May Cinco de Mayo means the fifth of May.
  • Mexico Puebla is a city in Mexico.
  • music Music drifted across the square all afternoon.
  • parade Dancers led the parade down Main Street.
  • Puebla The battle took place at Puebla in 1862.
  • victory The day remembers a victory at Puebla.

List 2: words English took from Spanish 10

  • alligator An alligator floated like a log in the swamp.
  • canyon A river carved the canyon long ago.
  • lasso The rider swung a lasso over her head.
  • mosquito A mosquito buzzed around the porch light.
  • patio We ate lunch outside on the patio.
  • plaza Children chased pigeons across the plaza.
  • potato She sliced one potato into thin rounds.
  • ranch Cattle grazed on a ranch beyond the hills.
  • rodeo Riders waved their hats at the rodeo.
  • tornado The siren warned us about a tornado.

Level 1, List 3: short words 10

  • band The band tuned up beside the fountain.
  • clap Clap along when the trumpets start.
  • flag Mexico's flag is green, white and red.
  • fun It was fun to wear such bright colors.
  • rice A bowl of rice sat beside the beans.
  • sing We sing the chorus in Spanish and English.
  • song Grandma hummed a song from her childhood.
  • spin The dancers spin until their skirts fan out.
  • step Watch my feet and copy each step.
  • tap Tap your heel twice on the wooden floor.

Level 2, List 4: food words from Spanish 10

  • avocado One ripe avocado fed the whole table.
  • burrito My burrito was too big to finish.
  • enchilada The enchilada came covered in red sauce.
  • oregano A pinch of oregano went into the pot.
  • papaya Papaya slices looked bright orange on the plate.
  • salsa Fresh salsa starts with ripe tomatoes.
  • taco He folded the taco and took a bite.
  • tamale A tamale is steamed inside a corn husk.
  • tortilla She pressed the dough into a round tortilla.
  • vanilla A drop of vanilla went into the batter.

Level 2, List 5: music and dance 10

  • applause Applause filled the gym after the last dance.
  • audience The audience stood up to cheer.
  • balloon A green balloon slipped out of my hand.
  • colorful Colorful paper flags hung over the street.
  • festival The festival lasted until the stars came out.
  • mariachi A mariachi band strolled between the tables.
  • musician One musician carried a guitar as big as me.
  • performer Every performer bowed at the end.
  • piñata The piñata burst and candy rained down.
  • rhythm Our feet found the rhythm of the drums.

Level 3, List 6: longer words from Spanish 10

  • aficionado My uncle is an aficionado of folk music.
  • armadillo An armadillo shuffled across the dusty road.
  • barracuda A barracuda flashed past the coral reef.
  • bonanza The bake sale was a bonanza for our class.
  • cafeteria The cafeteria served tacos on the fifth.
  • guacamole We scooped up guacamole with warm chips.
  • hurricane The hurricane stayed far out at sea.
  • jalapeño One slice of jalapeño made my eyes water.
  • quesadilla The cheese melted inside my quesadilla.
  • stampede Thunder started a stampede across the plain.

Level 3, List 7: the history 10

  • ancestors Her ancestors came from the state of Puebla.
  • anniversary Each fifth of May is an anniversary.
  • bilingual The bilingual program printed two sets of words.
  • celebration The celebration filled three city blocks.
  • commemorate Speeches commemorate the battle every May.
  • community The whole community helped hang the lights.
  • courage The soldiers showed courage on the hill.
  • outnumbered The Mexican army was outnumbered that day.
  • republic In a republic, citizens vote for their leaders.
  • tradition Dancing in the plaza is a town tradition.

How it works

Cinco de Mayo marks the Mexican army's victory over French troops at Puebla on May 5, 1862. Three of the seven lists hold words English took from Spanish, and many keep their Spanish spelling: the qu of quesadilla, the j of jalapeño.

Read the full guide

What the seven lists hold

List 1 is the day in ten words: fiesta, parade, Puebla, victory, heritage. List 2 has ten everyday words from Spanish (plaza, canyon). Level 1, for kindergarten and 1st grade, is List 3: flag, clap, spin. Level 2, for 2nd to 4th grade, has food words from Spanish and music and dance. Level 3, for 5th grade and up, has longer words from Spanish (guacamole, hurricane) and the history. The grades are a starting point.

Three capitals and two accents

Puebla, Mexico and May are marked wrong in lower case while Capitals count is checked; uncheck it under More options for younger spellers. Piñata and jalapeño may be typed with a plain n: the answer is right, and the results name the accent left off.

  • Alligator began as the Spanish el lagarto, the lizard.
  • In tortilla and quesadilla the double l is said like a y, as in Spanish.

Questions and answers

What is a good spelling word for Cinco de Mayo?

Fiesta, parade, Puebla, Mexico and victory open List 1. For a first speller, try flag, clap or spin from List 3; for a hard one, quesadilla or aficionado from List 6.

How do you spell Cinco de Mayo?

C-i-n-c-o, d-e, M-a-y-o: three words, with capitals on Cinco and Mayo. The American Heritage Dictionary gives the Spanish parts as cinco, five, de, of, and Mayo, May.

Is Cinco de Mayo Mexican Independence Day?

No. Mexico's Independence Day is September 16, notes a Library of Congress blog. Cinco de Mayo remembers one battle, at Puebla, where the Mexican army was outnumbered by the French.

What English words come from Spanish?

Lists 2, 4 and 6 hold thirty of them: plaza, patio, rodeo, canyon, tornado, taco, tortilla, vanilla, hurricane, cafeteria and more. The American Heritage Dictionary gives each one a Spanish origin.

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