The Wide World of Word Origins: English Words Derived from Nahuatl

Nahuatl is an Uto-Aztecan language spoken by about 1.5 million people in central Mexico. Nahuatl was the language of the Aztec empire, and as long ago as that may be, traces of the language's influence can still be felt today. These 15 words, many of which are common in English, derive ultimately from Nahuatl, pre-dating the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

15 words 3348 learners

What type of activity would you like to assign?

Practice An adaptive activity where students answer a few questions about each word in this list. If a student struggles with a word, we follow up with additional questions.Quiz Quiz your students on this list. Easily customize your quiz by choosing specific words, question-types, and meanings to include.Spelling Bee Students are required to spell every word on the list. If they get a word wrong, we follow up until they learn the spelling.Vocabulary Jam Students join teams and compete in real time to see which team can answer the most questions correctly.

Assign this list to your students

Start a free 10-day teacher trial to engage your students in all of Vocabulary.com’s word learning activities. Set up fun Vocab Jams, create a quiz, and monitor each student’s progress.

Start your free teacher trial

Learn more about how Vocabulary.com supports educators across the country.

The Wide World of Word Origins: English Words Derived from Nahuatl﻿

What type of activity would you like to assign?

Assign this list to your students

Sign up now (it’s free!)

The Wide World of Word Origins: English Words Derived from Nahuatl