nounmasculineplural: los éxitosfalse friend of exit
"Success" in Spanish is el éxito, said EK-see-toh. It looks like the English word exit, but an exit is la salida. To say someone is successful, Spanish often uses tener éxito: Tiene mucho éxito.
Written by Isabella García, Language Content Manager at WordyUpdated October 4, 2026
Hear "éxito" in real movie scenes
A cheer at the podium and a cartoon motto. Each video starts and stops on that line.
¡Qué éxito, Frank!
What a success, Frank!
Congratulations, a microphone and applause in front of a podium: someone has just pulled off something big, and ¡Qué éxito! is the shout that tells them so.
From ¿Y dónde está el policía? 2 1/2 · Spanish audio
Cuando el éxito es un hábito
When success is a habit
It's the kind of result many people envy, and for some it's almost routine. With el in front, éxito means success in general.
From Un jefe en pañales · Spanish audio
Éxito, salida and other success words
One false friend and five phrases built on éxito.
Spanish
English
Good to know
la salida
exit, way out
The word on exit signs. Éxito never means exit.
tener éxito
to be successful
Literally "to have success": Su libro tiene mucho éxito.
exitoso, exitosa
successful
The adjective agrees with the noun: una tienda exitosa.
un gran éxito
a big success, a big hit
Gran goes before the noun here.
los grandes éxitos
greatest hits
You'll see it on music albums and playlists.
un éxito de taquilla
a box-office hit
La taquilla is the ticket office.
Tip: Before an exam, a show or a first day at work, wish someone luck with ¡Mucho éxito!
Grammar: el éxito, los éxitos
Four things to know before you use it.
Masculine, stressed on the first syllable
el éxito, los éxitos. The written accent on the é shows where the stress goes: EK-see-toh.
This x says ks
In éxito the x sounds like the ks in taxi. It's never the throaty sound you hear in México.
Something is a success
Use ser with un: Mi negocio es un éxito. For a big one, put gran in front: Es un gran éxito.
People have success
tener éxito means to be successful: Tienes mucho éxito. The adjective form is exitoso: una marca exitosa.
Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Es un éxito muy grande.
It's a huge success.
Es un gran éxito.
It's a big hit.
Nuestra marca juvenil es un éxito.
Our youth brand is a success.
Parece ser un éxito.
It seems to be a success.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗¿Dónde está el éxito? (looking for the way out)
✓¿Dónde está la salida?
Éxito is a false friend and means success. The way out of a building is la salida.
✗un gran suceso (meaning a big success)
✓un gran éxito
Suceso is another false friend. It means an event or incident, often the kind reported in the news.
✗EH-hee-toh (pronunciation)
✓EK-see-toh
Read this x as ks, the way you say it in taxi.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 34 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Éxito looks like exit, so picture the star of a hit show taking a bow and leaving to huge applause. The applause is the éxito, and the door is still la salida.
El éxito, pronounced EK-see-toh. More than one success is los éxitos.
Does éxito mean exit in Spanish?
No. Éxito means success. An exit is la salida, which is the word you'll see on exit signs.
How do you say successful in Spanish?
Exitoso or exitosa: una tienda exitosa. For people, tener éxito is very common: Ella tiene éxito.
How do you wish someone success in Spanish?
Say ¡Mucho éxito! or the longer ¡Que tengas mucho éxito!
Learn "success" in Spanish from real movie scenes
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