170 Essential Terms for Your AP Spanish “Término del Día” Board

Some of the best classroom ideas don’t come from teachers—they come from students.

A while back, one of my AP Spanish students made a simple suggestion: “Why don’t we learn one new helpful word or phrase every day?” It was a casual comment, but it stuck with me.

So, we tried it. Every day, I wrote one academic or high-level Spanish word or phrase on the board—something they could use in essays, oral presentations, or even just to sound more polished in conversation. At first, it was just a quick mention, a little side note before jumping into the lesson. But soon, we started to use them as part of a ‘timbrero’ (bell-ringer) and I started noticing that they’d drop them into class discussions, sneak them into their persuasive essays, and even acknowledge when they heard or saw it being used. It was almost like a little puzzle or game to them. (Hey! Whatever works!)

It became part of our daily routine—no prep, no stress, and a whole lot of impact on their confidence and fluency.

Since it worked so well, I decided I’d put together this list of 170 essential AP Spanish words and phrases for you, covering academic vocabulary, transition words, and idiomatic expressions—one for each class day of the year because I know how exhausting it can be to constantly find new resources.

What Makes This Word List Special?

This isn’t just a random collection of words. These 170 essential terms are carefully selected to help students succeed in:

✔ Persuasive Essays – Stronger transitions and precise vocabulary = better arguments.
✔ Interpersonal Speaking – Expressing opinions and reacting with natural fluency.
✔ Cultural Comparison – Higher-level phrases to sound confident and well-informed.
✔ Reading Comprehension – Recognizing advanced terms from authentic texts.

Each word is relevant, high-yield, and AP-friendly, covering academic vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, transition words, and tricky cognates—all the things that help students sound polished and prepared.

How to Use Your Palabra del Día Board

💡 Start class with it – Have students write the word, define it, and use it in a sentence. <– (Game changer for us!)
📝 Make it interactive – Challenge them to use the word in speaking/writing activities.
✏️ Weekly vocab quiz — Apply them weekly vocab quizzes.
🎯 Incorporate it into practice exams – Encourage them to use new words in free-response sections.
🏆 Turn it into a game – Give points for using the words naturally in conversations.

Here are your Essential AP Spanish Terms for Your Término del Día Board to Get You Started!

Academic Vocabulary (Great for Essays & Presentations)

1. Afirmar – to state, affirm
2. Analizar – to analyze
3. Aportar – to contribute
4. Argumentar – to argue, make a case
5. Citar – to cite
6. Comparar – to compare
7. Contradecir – to contradict
8. Convencer – to convince
9. Distinguir – to distinguish
10. Enfatizar – to emphasize
11. Evaluar – to evaluate
12. Explicar – to explain
13. Justificar – to justify
14. Opinar – to give an opinion
15. Persuadir – to persuade
16. Refutar – to refute
17. Reforzar – to reinforce
18. Sostener – to maintain (an argument)
19. Subrayar – to underline, highlight
20. Sugiere que… – suggests that…

Transitions & Connectors (For Smooth, Sophisticated Writing)

21. A diferencia de – Unlike
22. A pesar de – Despite
23. Así que – So, therefore
24. Cabe destacar que – It’s worth noting that
25. Como resultado – As a result
26. Con respecto a – Regarding
27. Dado que – Given that
28. De hecho – In fact
29. En consecuencia – Consequently
30. En resumen – In summary
31. Es decir – That is to say
32. Lo que es más – What’s more
33. Por consiguiente – Therefore
34. Por el contrario – On the contrary
35. Por lo tanto – Thus, therefore
36. Sin embargo – However
37. Sobre todo – Above all
38. Teniendo en cuenta – Taking into account
39. Vale la pena mencionar – It’s worth mentioning
40. Ya que – Since, because

Idiomatic Expressions (For Natural, Native-Like Speaking & Writing)

41. A fin de cuentas – After all
42. A grandes rasgos – Broadly speaking
43. A la larga – In the long run
44. A primera vista – At first glance
45. Costar un ojo de la cara – To cost a fortune
46. Dar en el clavo – To hit the nail on the head
47. Echar leña al fuego – To add fuel to the fire
48. Estar entre la espada y la pared – To be between a rock and a hard place
49. Hacer hincapié en – To emphasize
50. No tener pelos en la lengua – To be very direct

Are you Loving This List so Far?

👉 Download the WHOLE list of 170 Terms for ✨FREE✨ on my TPT (Here!)