I is a very common letter in Spanish. There are many Spanish words that start with I. Many of them look and sound very familiar to an English speaker and their meaning is almost always the same in Spanish and English. Below you can find a list of Spanish words that start with I, classified by word type (adjectives, nouns, verbs, and other words).
Spanish adjectives that start with I
ideal = ideal, mental
idéntico = the same
igual, igual a = equal, equal to
ilegal = illegal
iluminado = illuminated
impar = odd (number), unequal
inglés = English
inteligente = intelligent
Spanish nouns that start with I
ida (la) = way, one-way, outward journey
ida y vuelta = return journey, round trip
idea (la) = idea
identidad (la) = identity
identificación (la) = identification
idiota (el or la) = idiot
iglesia (la) = church, temple
invitación (la) = invitation
ira (la) = anger, rage
isla (la) = island
isleño (el), isleña (la) = islander
isleta (la) = small island
ítem (el) = item
itinerario (el) = itinerary, route
Spanish verbs that start with I
There are lots of verbs in Spanish which start with common prefixes like -im, -in, -ir. The highest concentration of words that start with I and are almost the same in English and Spanish is probably among verbs. In many cases, the only difference is the ending (most Spanish verbs end with -ar, -ir, or -er).
idear = to think, to devise
ignorar = to ignore, to not know
igualar = to agree, to level, to make equal
imaginar = to imagine
impartir = to give, to grant
impedir = to prevent, to hinder
imperar = to rule, to command
importar = to be important
inquirir = to inquire
intentar = to try
interesar = to be interesting
invitar = to invite
ir = to go
Other Spanish words that start with I
These are a few very common Spanish words that begin with I and are not nouns, adjectives, nor verbs:
ídem = the same, also
inmediatamente = immediately
izquierda = left
See similar lists of Spanish words that start with the letters A, K, W, X, and Y.