"lyrics (words of a song)" in seven languages

Meaninglyrics (words of a song)

Spanish

letra

/ˈletɾa/

fem.other source · Latin LITTERAM 'letter'

Singular: la letra de una canción.

French

paroles

/paʁɔl/

fem.other source · Latin PARABOLAM 'comparison, speech'

Always plural in this sense: les paroles.

Italian

testo

/ˈtɛsto/

masc.other source · Latin TEXTUM 'woven fabric'

Portuguese

letra

/ˈletɾɐ/

fem.other source · Latin LITTERAM 'letter'

Romanian

versuri

/ˈversurʲ/

neut.other source · vers 'line of verse', from Latin VERSUM (via French vers)

A plural: 'the verses'. Textul cântecului also works.

Catalan

lletra

/ˈʎɛtɾə/

fem.other source · Latin LITTERAM 'letter'

English

lyrics

/ˈlɪɹɪks/

other source · Latin LYRICUS, from Greek lurikós 'of the lyre'

English → Italianlyrics (words of a song)testoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share

The story

Each language names the words of a song differently: 'the letter' in Spanish, 'the words' in French, 'the text' in Italian. Lírica, lyrique and lirica mean lyric poetry, not song lyrics.

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In a sentence

esNo me sé la letra de esta canción.
frJe ne connais pas les paroles de cette chanson.
itNon conosco il testo di questa canzone.
ptNão sei a letra dessa música.
roNu știu versurile acestui cântec.
caNo em sé la lletra d'aquesta cançó.
enI don't know the lyrics of this song.

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