Three pronunciations are all correct in their own language, and islanders use two of them in the same conversation. Here is each one written the way it sounds, and when to reach for which.
Checked by the desk 2026-09-03
Quick answer
In Spanish, Ibiza is ee-BEE-tha, with the stress on the middle syllable and the z said like the th in think. In Catalan the island is called Eivissa and sounds roughly like ay-VEE-sa. English says i-BEE-za with a z, and nobody on the island minds. Locally you will hear Eivissa on the road signs and in Catalan conversation and Ibiza in Spanish, often from the same person a minute apart.
TL;DR
- Spanish: ee-BEE-tha, stress on the middle syllable, the z as the th in think
- In Latin America and southern Spain the same word comes out as ee-BEE-sa
- Catalan: the island is Eivissa, roughly ay-VEE-sa, and that is what the road signs say
- English: i-BEE-za, the version used by airlines and the music world
- The name goes back to the Phoenician Ibossim and the Latin Ebusus, which is why it has travelled so far
The three versions
| Language | Written | Sounds like | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Ibiza | ee-BEE-tha | Flights, national television, most of mainland Spain |
| Spanish with seseo | Ibiza | ee-BEE-sa | Latin America, the Canary Islands, parts of Andalusia |
| Catalan | Eivissa | ay-VEE-sa | Road signs, local media, islanders speaking Catalan |
| English | Ibiza | i-BEE-za | Airlines outside Spain, the music industry, most visitors |
Every version stresses the middle syllable. The only real difference is the consonant: a th sound in standard Spanish, an s in seseo Spanish and in English, and a different name altogether in Catalan.
Why the z sounds like th
In the Spanish of mainland Spain the letter z, and the letter c before e or i, are pronounced like the th in think. So Ibiza comes out ee-BEE-tha, in the same way that Barcelona comes out Bar-the-LO-na. In Latin America, the Canary Islands and much of Andalusia that sound merges with the s, and the same word becomes ee-BEE-sa. Both are correct Spanish and neither is a mistake.
Eivissa, the Catalan name
Catalan is the other official language of the Balearic Islands, and the local variety spoken here is called eivissenc. In Catalan both the island and its capital are Eivissa, said roughly ay-VEE-sa, with the first syllable close to the English word eye and the stress again in the middle. Road signs, the island council and the local press use Eivissa while your boarding pass says Ibiza, which is why visitors spend a moment wondering whether they landed in the right place.
Where the name comes from
The Phoenicians founded the town around the eighth century BC and called it something close to Ibossim. The Romans turned that into Ebusus, and from Ebusus came both Eivissa in Catalan and Ibiza in Spanish. The two modern names are the same word after twenty six centuries of use, not a translation of one another.
How islanders actually say it
In practice people switch. A taxi driver says Eivissa to a neighbour and Ibiza to you in the next breath, and neither sounds odd. Nobody will correct an English speaker for saying i-BEE-za, and a visitor who tries ee-BEE-tha usually gets a smile rather than a correction. What does mark you out as someone who has spent time here is using the Catalan names of the villages: Sant Antoni rather than San Antonio, Sant Josep rather than San Jose.
A few more names to say out loud
| Written | Sounds roughly like | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Eivissa | ay-VEE-sa | The island and its capital in Catalan |
| Dalt Vila | dalt VEE-la | The walled old town, literally the upper town |
| Es Vedra | es VED-ra | The rock off the south west coast |
| Sant Josep | san zho-ZEP | The village and municipality of the south west |
| Ses Salines | ses sa-LEE-nes | The salt flats and the beach south of the airport |
| Formentera | for-men-TE-ra | The neighbouring island |
Ask us in either language
The desk answers in English and Spanish and understands Catalan. Ask for the boat, the car or the house however the name comes out.
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Browse Ibiza experiencesFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce Ibiza in Spanish?
ee-BEE-tha, with the stress on the middle syllable and the z said like the th in think. In Latin America and parts of southern Spain the same word is pronounced ee-BEE-sa, because the th and s sounds merged there. Both are standard Spanish.
Why do English speakers say i-BEE-za?
Because English borrowed the written name rather than the spoken one, and it has no th sound for a z in that position. The airline code and the music industry fixed i-BEE-za in place decades ago. It is the normal English pronunciation and nobody on the island objects to it.
What is Eivissa?
The Catalan name for both the island and its capital, pronounced roughly ay-VEE-sa. Catalan is co-official in the Balearic Islands, so Eivissa is what you read on road signs and in local media while your ticket says Ibiza. They are the same place.
Is it wrong to say Ibiza instead of Eivissa?
No. Ibiza is the Spanish name, it is official too, and islanders use it constantly. Eivissa is what you will see written locally. Using either one is normal, and switching between them in the middle of a conversation is the most local thing you can do.
Where does the name Ibiza come from?
From the Phoenician settlement founded around the eighth century BC, whose name has reached us as something close to Ibossim. The Romans made it Ebusus, and from there Catalan produced Eivissa and Spanish produced Ibiza.
How do you pronounce Formentera?
for-men-TE-ra, with the stress on the third syllable and a soft Spanish r. It is said the same way in Spanish and in Catalan. The name is usually linked to the Latin word for wheat, which the island once grew.
How do you say the village names?
Use the Catalan forms you see on the signs: Sant Antoni, Sant Josep, Sant Joan, Santa Eularia. Sant has a short a and a light final t, and the j in Josep and Joan sounds like the s in the English word measure.
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Written and kept up to date by the Ibiza Formentera Rent desk. We are an independent concierge, not an official agency. Prices are indicative and set by each provider. Spotted something out of date? Tell us on WhatsApp and we will fix it.