I tried to narrow these down to nouns you might find useful in everyday life to beef up your vocab
el calvario = an ordeal, agony / an arduous task that one must undertake, “one’s cross to bear”
[lit. “Calvary”, referring to the place Jesus was crucified; in Spanish el calvario is interpreted as “stations of the cross” or the reenactments of the Passion of Christ… but in common Spanish, el calvario is used as “a task that is pretty much torture” or something that someone feels they must do… “a cross to bear” in the same etymology]
el bullicio = hustle and bustle, busy activity / noise (from a lot of people or chatter), ruckus
el deseo = desire / wish
pedir un deseo = to make a wish [lit. “to request a wish/desire”]
el consejo = council (a group of people) / counsel, advice
[also used in the context of “legal council”]
el logro = achievement, accomplishment
el blanco = target
[as opposed to blanco/a being “white”, or “white people”]
el susto = a fright, a scare, a shock
dar un susto = to surprise, to shock someone, “to make someone jump” or “to give someone a scare”
la racha = a gust / a good or bad period
la buena racha = “lucky streak”, string of good luck
la mala racha = “unlucky streak”, string of bad luck
(estar) en racha = “(to be) on a roll”, “(to be) in the zone”
el renacimiento = rebirth, revival
[sometimes understood as a “golden age” often for science or literature as a kind of boom, or it means the “revitalization” or “reawakening” of certain trends, ideas/ideals, fields of study, fashions, or literature that had been out of fashion or not as prominent previously]
el Renacimiento = Renaissance
la quimera = chimera (fantasy) / a fantasy, a dream with no basis in reality, a pipe dream
la prueba = test, quiz / evidence, proof
la hacienda = plantation, plantation house / estate / property, estate
la Hacienda = the IRS, tax office
el peligro = danger, risk
el riesgo = risk
el legado = legacy / inheritance, something bequeathed
el antojo = whim, whimsy / craving, desire
[I have also sometimes seen antojo used as “snack” or “appetizer” in some menus, also sometimes as antojitos]
la gestión = management, administration / process, “paperwork”
el alambre = wire, cable
el alambre de púas = barbed wire [lit. “wire of spikes/barbs”]
el faro = lighthouse
[sometimes euphemistically el faro is used as a “beacon” or “guiding light”]
el parecer = opinion
el cambio de parecer = “a change of heart” [could also be cambio de opinión]
el zumbido = buzz, hum, droning sound
el cometido = task, mission, mission statement
la pata = leg / paw (animal, usually but not always)
meter la pata = “to mess up”, “to step in it”
la punzada = sharp pain, a jabbing pain / “twinge”, “pang”, sharp negative feeling
la punzada de culpa = “twinge of guilt”
la época = time period, age, epoch, “period” (a default word for a specific time period, often used in the contexts of history and literary movements)
la época medieval = the Medieval period
la época colonial = the colonial period
la época precolombina = the pre-Columbian period (the time period before Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas; used in Latin America to mean before the indigenous people had contact with Europe)
el santuario = sanctuary, shrine / refuge, sanctuary
el vaivén = “ups and down” (literally and figuratively) / something that fluctuates / a swaying motion, a rocking motion (often the ocean)
el obsequio = gift or present (but fancy) / tribute
el conjunto = group, grouping, combination
el vínculo = bond, tie, link
el peso = weight [physical and emotional, may also be understood as “burden”… and in some situations, the peso is a unit of currency]
la prenda = garment, article of clothing
el hito = milestone, important event
la fiera = beast, wild animal / fiend
el ejemplar = the original, prototype, model / copy (of a book or magazine)
ejemplar = exemplary
el hueco = an empty spot, a gap / “an opening” (in one’s schedule, or a “job opening”)
hueco/a = hollow, empty
el bálsamo = balsam / a balm, something that soothes or eases pain or discomfort
el don = a gift, a blessing
el don de gentes = “good people skills”, social graces, social butterfly
el don de (la) palabra = “gift of gab”, “good with one’s words”, eloquent
[usually used with tener “to have”]
la potencia = power, potency, strength / power (in physics) / a superpower (in politics or global power)
la ficha = chip, token, tile, game piece / index card, ticket, certificate / token
[any kind of game piece, domino, checker, casino chip, tile, etc etc etc is a ficha (especially in gambling) or la pieza “piece” (particularly in chess or games with unique pieces)]
el olvido = oblivion, obscurity
el patrón = pattern
[also, el patrón or la patrona is “patron” or “sponsor”… sometimes it’s “boss” or generally the person in charge]
el género = gender / genre (of literature/tv) / genus, type
el argumento = reasoning, argument [in someone’s thinking, not a loud “argument” usually] / plot, plotline, storyline, premise
el engaño = deceit, a trick
el horizonte = horizon / skyline, view of the city / limits, boundary
[also means “horizon” the same way English uses it like hay nubes en el horizonte “there are clouds on the horizon” to mean something ominous coming]
el descuido = a mistake or slip-up, oversight, neglect, carelessness
el adefesio = something extremely hideous or unsightly, an eyesore
la moda = fashion, style
estar de moda = to be in fashion, to be fashionable
(estar) pasado/a de moda, (estar) fuera de moda = to be out of style, to be out of fashion, to be unfashionable
el matiz = nuance / shade, hue (of colors)
el plazo = time period
a corto plazo = short-term
a largo plazo = long-term
