How to use full stops in Spanish

Guide to Spanish full stops (.)

Generally speaking, the full stop (el punto) has many of the same uses in Spanish as it does in English, with a few exceptions.

The full stop is usually used to indicate the end of a sentence. Full stops are followed by a space and the next word starts with a capital letter.

Full stops have different names in Spanish depending on whether they mark the end of a sentence, paragraph or text:

punto y seguido → full stop (continued): if the next sentence belongs to the same paragraph
punto y aparte → full stop (new paragraph): if the next sentence starts a new paragraph
punto y final → full stop (final): if the sentence is the last in the text

Read on to learn about Spanish full stops with Lingolia.

Abbreviations are written with full stop in Spanish.

The full stop is written before any superscript letters in the abbreviation.

Watch out: the abbreviation of the word is followed by a slash (/), not a full stop.

Initials and acronyms aren’t followed by a full stop.

Unlike English, Spanish uses commas for decimals, not full stops

Example:

3,14
Thousands are separated from hundreds by a full stop, not a comma

Example:

Tengo 5.000 euros en el banco.
In scientific, technical, or international contexts, numbers are usually written with a space to separate thousands instead of a comma or full stop

Example:

La población mundial en 2023 era de 8 000 000 000 personas.

The mathematical multiplication sign is represented by a middle dot (⋅) or, more traditionally, by a cross (×). It is read as por.

Full stops are not used:

with exclamations or questions

Examples:

¡Qué buen día hace!

¿A qué hora quedamos hoy?
after an abbreviation that already ends in a full stop

Example:

A la boda acudieron sus hermanos, padres, primos, tíos, abuelos, etc.
after an ellipsis (...)

Example:

A la boda acudieron sus hermanos, padres, primos, tíos, abuelos...

Spanish full stops appear outside of quotation marks, parentheses () or dashes (—).

Examples:: Sus palabras textuales han sido: «Hoy no tengo tiempo».; (No creo que tenga razón).; De casualidad nos encontramos con Emilio en el cine –aunque no pareció muy contento de vernos–.