How to Say Congratulations in Spanish: 15+ Phrases for Every Occasion

The Short Answer

The most common way to say congratulations in Spanish is ¡Felicidades! (feh-lee-see-DAH-dehs). It works across every Spanish-speaking country, for virtually any positive occasion: birthdays, weddings, graduations, promotions, and new babies. But the word you choose reveals where you are, how formal the situation is, and exactly what you are celebrating.

Spanish has three primary words for "congratulations" (felicidades, felicitaciones, and enhorabuena) and they are not interchangeable. According to the Real Academia Española (RAE), each carries distinct regional and contextual weight. With approximately 559 million Spanish speakers across 21 countries (Ethnologue, 2024), the regional variation is substantial.

"Celebratory language in Spanish reveals deep cultural attitudes toward achievement, community, and shared joy. The choice between felicidades and enhorabuena is not merely lexical; it reflects distinct communicative traditions across the Hispanic world."

(David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, Cambridge University Press)

This guide covers 15+ ways to congratulate someone in Spanish, organized by context: universal phrases, Spain-specific expressions, casual congratulations, formal language, and occasion-specific phrases. Each includes pronunciation, an example sentence, and cultural context.

Quick Reference: Spanish Congratulations at a Glance

Understanding the Big Three: Felicidades vs. Felicitaciones vs. Enhorabuena

Before diving into individual phrases, it is essential to understand the three core words for congratulations in Spanish. They each occupy distinct territory.

Felicidades is the universal safe choice. Felicitaciones leans formal and Latin American. Enhorabuena is the distinctly Spanish option, a word that will immediately mark you as someone familiar with Peninsular Spanish.

The Instituto Cervantes notes that felicidades is unique among the three because it doubles as both "congratulations" and "happy birthday," a dual function that does not exist in English. When someone tells you it is their birthday, saying ¡Felicidades! is perfectly natural. For more on birthday-specific phrases, see our guide to saying happy birthday in Spanish.

Universal Congratulations

These work across all 21 Spanish-speaking countries, from Madrid to Mexico City to Buenos Aires.

¡Felicidades!

Felicidades comes from felicidad (happiness), so you are literally wishing someone "happinesses," multiple instances of joy. This plural form gives the word its warmth. According to the RAE, the word has been used as a celebratory expression since at least the 16th century.

The beauty of felicidades is its range. You can say it when your friend gets married, when your coworker gets promoted, when your neighbor has a baby, or when someone tells you it is their birthday. No other Spanish congratulations word covers this much ground.

¡Felicitaciones!

While felicidades comes from "happiness," felicitaciones comes from felicitación, the act of congratulating. This gives it a slightly more formal, deliberate tone. You are not just wishing happiness; you are explicitly recognizing an achievement.

In Latin America (particularly in Colombia, Argentina, and Chile), felicitaciones is often preferred for academic and professional milestones. In Spain, speakers lean toward enhorabuena for the same contexts.

Spain-Specific: Enhorabuena

¡Enhorabuena!

Enhorabuena is one of the most fascinating words in Spanish. It comes from the medieval expression en hora buena ("in the good hour"), referring to the astrological belief that favorable outcomes depended on the hour of their occurrence. The RAE traces the compound form to at least the 15th century.

What makes enhorabuena unique is its specificity. Unlike felicidades, which covers everything, enhorabuena is reserved for achievements, things the person worked for. You would say enhorabuena for passing an exam, publishing a book, or winning a competition. You would not typically say enhorabuena for a birthday or a baby, because those are not "earned" in the same way.

Casual Congratulations

These are the phrases friends use in everyday conversation. They work across all Spanish-speaking regions.

¡Bien hecho!

A simple, direct phrase that acknowledges effort. Bien hecho works whether your friend aced an exam, your kid scored a goal, or your colleague nailed a presentation. It emphasizes the quality of what was done rather than just celebrating the outcome.

¡Bravo!

Just like in English, ¡Bravo! is an exclamation of admiration. It works especially well after performances (a concert, a speech, a theatrical production), but Spanish speakers also use it casually to celebrate any impressive feat.

¡Genial!

Genial is the enthusiastic, almost reflexive response to good news. It carries the energy of "awesome!" or "brilliant!" and pairs naturally with congratulatory phrases: ¡Genial! ¡Felicidades!

¡Qué maravilla!

This phrase goes beyond simple congratulations and expresses genuine wonder. Spanish speakers reach for ¡Qué maravilla! when the news is so good it feels almost magical: a pregnancy, a dream job offer, an unexpected reunion.

Formal Congratulations

For professional settings, official ceremonies, and showing deep respect. If you want to master formal registers in Spanish, our Spanish learning page offers structured practice.

Le felicito

The verb felicitar (to congratulate) in its formal conjugation. Le felicito uses the indirect object pronoun le (formal "you"), signaling respect. For informal situations, the equivalent is Te felicito, still warm but less ceremonial.

Mis más sinceras felicitaciones

This is the "black-tie" congratulation, the phrase you would use in a formal letter, a graduation ceremony speech, or when addressing someone receiving a major award. In written form, you will often see it in official congratulatory messages from institutions and government officials.

Occasion-Specific Congratulations

Different milestones call for different phrases. Here is what native speakers actually say for life's biggest moments.

Weddings

In many Latin American countries, wedding celebrations extend far beyond the ceremony. The cultural emphasis on shared joy means that congratulations are often directed to the entire family, not just the couple: ¡Felicidades a toda la familia!

Graduations

New Baby

New Job or Promotion

How to Respond When Someone Congratulates You

Knowing how to receive congratulations gracefully is just as important. Here is what to say:

Spanish-speaking cultures value humildad (humility) in responses. Even if you are extremely proud, a modest reply like Gracias, fue un trabajo en equipo (Thanks, it was a team effort) is considered more graceful than enthusiastic self-congratulation.

Regional Map: Which Word Where?

The geographic distribution of congratulations words is one of the clearest markers of regional Spanish identity:

Notice the pattern: Spain stands alone with enhorabuena as the default for achievements, while Latin America splits between felicidades (Mexico, Peru, Caribbean) and felicitaciones (Southern Cone, Colombia). This distribution reflects broader linguistic trends documented by the Instituto Cervantes. Peninsular Spanish and Latin American Spanish have been developing distinct celebratory vocabularies for centuries.

Practice With Real Spanish Content

Reading these phrases is a solid start, but hearing them in natural conversation is what makes them stick. Spanish-language films are full of congratulatory scenes, from weddings in Mexican telenovelas to graduation celebrations in Argentine cinema and promotion announcements in Spanish workplace dramas.

Wordy lets you watch Spanish movies and shows with interactive subtitles, tapping on any word (including felicidades, enhorabuena, and felicitaciones) to see its meaning, pronunciation, and cultural context in real time. You absorb celebratory language from genuine emotional moments, not flashcards.

For more Spanish content, explore our blog for guides on everything from greetings to slang, or check out the best movies to learn Spanish for viewing recommendations. Visit our Spanish learning page to start practicing today.