de hecho

Spanish

Alternative forms

• de fecho (obsolete)

Etymology

Calque of Latin de facto. Compare similar constructions with French de fait, Romanian de fapt, and Italian difatti (literally “of facts”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /de ˈet͡ʃo/ [d̪e ˈe.t͡ʃo]
• Syllabification: de he‧cho

Adverb

de hecho

1. in fact, actually, indeed, as a matter of fact

   Synonym: sin ir más lejos

2. (El Salvador) on purpose, purposely

   Synonym: adrede

   Me pegaste de hecho.

   You hit me on purpose.

Derived terms

• de hecho y de derecho

Further reading

• “de hecho”, 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