How to Pronounce Fidel Castro

Meaning and Context

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, born August 13, 1926, was the central figure of 20th-century Cuban history, a communist revolutionary and political leader whose ideology and defiance shaped the Cold War in the Western Hemisphere. As the líder máximo (maximum leader) of the Cuban Revolution, which triumphantly overthrew the U.S.-backed Batista regime on January 1, 1959, Castro established the Western Hemisphere's first socialist state just 90 miles from Florida. He served as Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and then as President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers from 1976 until his provisional resignation due to illness in 2008, succeeded by his brother Raúl Castro. His nearly five-decade rule was defined by the implementation of a Marxist-Leninist one-party system, the landmark Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, the tense Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, and a protracted adversarial relationship with successive United States administrations, leading to a comprehensive U.S. economic embargo. Castro's legacy remains profoundly polarizing, celebrated by some as a symbol of anti-imperialist resistance and social reform in education and healthcare, while criticized by others as an authoritarian dictator who suppressed political dissent and economic freedoms.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The standard and correct spelling is Fidel Castro. Common variations or errors typically arise from anglicization, misspelling of his full name, or confusion with similar-sounding words. A frequent typo is "Fidel Castro," with a single 's'. His full name, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, is sometimes misspelled as "Ruse" or "Ruzs." In non-English contexts, especially Spanish, it is correctly written with the accent as Fidel Castro, though the accent is often omitted in English-language publications. Other common errors include conflating his name with the revolutionary icon Che Guevara, leading to the mistaken hybrid "Fidel Guevara," or misspelling his first name as "Fidal" or "Fidle." When referencing his title, "El Comandante" is a frequent and correct epithet.

Example Sentences

Historians often debate whether Fidel Castro's primary legacy is that of a revolutionary hero who defied American hegemony or an authoritarian leader who stifled basic freedoms.

Following the victory of the Cuban Revolution, Castro quickly moved to nationalize industries and align his government with the Soviet Union.

The CIA's failed attempt to oust him during the Bay of Pigs invasion only served to strengthen his political grip and his narrative of Cuban sovereignty.

Even after his death in 2016, the political system he built in Cuba continues to function under the guidance of the Communist Party.

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