The Queen Sofia Spanish Institute compiles a sampling of common words in American English with Spanish roots such as “rodeo,” “barbecue,” or “alligator,” among others.

Hispanic culture in the United States takes many forms, and the legacy of its many Spanish-speaking inhabitants can be seen throughout many aspects of American culture today. The gastronomy, music, and architecture that Hispanic world has cemented in the USA is culturally significant.

However, a powerful mediator that clearly reveals this longstanding legacy is language. This is true not only because the Spanish language has been present in what is now the United States since the before the nation’s founding, but also because of the indelible mark it has left on American English. In fact, the Spanish language has a great future ahead of itself in the U.S., a country where more and more citizens speak the language.

There are countless words in the American vernacular that have origins in Spanish or passed through Spanish on their way to American English, things as quintessentially American as “rodeos,” “mustangs,” “barbecues,” or “tornadoes.”

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