House
Use this for 'home' in an emotional or family sense, not just the physical building.
A more formal or technical term for 'dwelling' or 'housing', used in real estate or official contexts.
Means 'residence' or 'address'. Use it for official forms or when talking about your legal place of residence.
The common word for 'apartment' in Mexico and many other Latin American countries.
My house is blue.
Welcome to our home.
The government offers housing programs.
I live in an apartment downtown.
What is your current residence/address?
'Casa' is the universal word for a house. For an apartment, 'departamento' is very common, especially in Mexico and Argentina.
While 'casa' is standard for a house, 'apartamento' is more common than 'departamento' for an apartment.
In Spain, the word for an apartment or flat is 'piso'. A standalone house, especially in the suburbs, is often called a 'chalé' (or 'chalet'). Using 'departamento' will be understood but sounds foreign.
Like in Mexico and Argentina, 'departamento' is the standard term for an apartment.
Using 'hogar' for the physical building. For example, saying 'Compré un hogar nuevo' (I bought a new home). — Say 'Compré una casa nueva'. 'Hogar' refers to the feeling and life inside the house, while 'casa' is the physical structure. You buy a 'casa', but you build an 'hogar'.
Forgetting that 'casa' is a feminine noun. For example, 'el casa' or 'un casa blanco'. — Always use feminine articles and adjectives: 'la casa' (the house) and 'una casa blanca' (a white house). Noun gender is a fundamental rule in Spanish.
Pronouncing the 's' in 'casa' like a 'z' sound ('KAH-zah'), which is common in English. — The Spanish 's' is a crisp, unvoiced sound, like the 's' in 'snake'. Practice saying 'KAH-sah' with a sharp 's' sound at the end.
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