autovía

Spanish

Etymology

From auto +‎ vía.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /autoˈbia/ [au̯.t̪oˈβ̞i.a]
• Rhymes: -ia
• Syllabification: au‧to‧ví‧a

Noun

autovía f (plural autovías)

1. (Spain, Argentina) dual carriageway, divided highway

   Coordinate term: autopista

Usage notes

• In Spain, autovías are toll-free, while autopistas are usually tolled. Meanwhile, Autovías adhere to lower construction standards than autopistas, with sharper / tighter curves and steeper slopes, and often with shorter exit lanes that do not meet the minimum length required on autopistas.

Further reading

• “autovía”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025