Spaans

Spaans is the Dutch name for the Spanish language. In Dutch, Spaans refers to the language spoken in Spain and in many Spanish-speaking countries. The term may also function as an adjective for things related to Spain, but in linguistic contexts it principally denotes the language.

Spanish is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance subgroup. It developed from Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula, with Castilian Spanish becoming the standardized form during the medieval and early modern periods. From the 15th century onward, Spanish spread worldwide through exploration and colonization.

Today Spanish is an official language in 21 countries, including Spain and most of Latin America, as well as various administrative regions and territories. It is widely used in education, media, government, business, and daily communication. Globally, it ranks among the most spoken languages, with hundreds of millions of speakers.

Spanish comprises a range of dialects. Broadly, Peninsular Spanish refers to varieties spoken in Spain, while Latin American Spanish covers dialects across the Americas. Notable varieties include Rioplatense, Mexican, Caribbean, and Andean Spanish. Despite differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, these varieties share core grammar and mutual intelligibility.

The Spanish writing system uses the Latin alphabet with the letter ñ and diacritics. Orthography and standard usage are overseen by the Real Academia Española and the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language. They publish normative rules for spelling, punctuation, and accentuation.