ingenious and Spanish ingenuo

in-YÍ-nius

In English

ingenious

clever / inventive

In Spanish

ingenuo

inocente

Spanish "ingenuo" means: naive

Why they get mixed up Spanish "ingenuo" is someone innocent, without malice, or easily fooled. English "ingenious" means brilliant, creative, resourceful at solving problems. They share a Latin root but are opposite in connotation.

If you want to say...

ingeniousingenioso
naiveingenuo
innocentinocente

Examples

What an ingenious solution!
¡Qué solución tan ingeniosa!
She's an ingenious inventor.
Es una inventora ingeniosa.
It was an ingenious way to save water.
Fue una manera ingeniosa de ahorrar agua.
The ingenious design won several awards.
El diseño ingenioso ganó varios premios.

Common mistakes in Spanish

Incorrect: ~~Fue una solución ingenua y muy inteligente.~~

Correct: Fue una solución ingeniosa y muy inteligente.

Ingenuo means naive. For clever, use ingenioso.

Incorrect: ~~Es un inventor ingenuo.~~

Correct: Es un inventor ingenioso.

Use ingenioso for a clever inventor.

Phrases you will hear

an ingenious ideauna idea ingeniosa
an ingenious inventionun invento ingenioso
an ingenious solutionuna solución ingeniosa
ingenuityingenio
naiveingenuo
innocentinocente

In a conversation

A:
What an ingenious solution!
¡Qué solución tan ingeniosa!
B:
It was his idea.
Fue idea suya.
A:
He isn't naive at all.
No es nada ingenuo.
B:
No. He's very smart.
No. Es muy listo.

Test yourself

"An ingenious plan" is a plan that is...

To remember it

Ingenious = clever/inventive. Naive/innocent (Spanish "ingenuo") = naive.

Frequently asked questions

What does Spanish "ingenuo" mean?

Spanish "ingenuo" means "naive". It looks like the English "ingenious", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "ingenious" means "clever / inventive".

Does English "ingenious" mean the same as Spanish "ingenuo"?

Spanish "ingenuo" is someone innocent, without malice, or easily fooled. English "ingenious" means brilliant, creative, resourceful at solving problems. They share a Latin root but are opposite in connotation.