Usage Note
Centímetro carries a written accent on the i as it is a proparoxytone (stress on the antepenultimate syllable). The abbreviation is cm, shared with English. In everyday speech, body measurements, clothing sizes, and school maths all use centímetros as the default unit.
Examples
"La tela mide cincuenta centímetros."
Natural Translation
The fabric measures fifty centimetres.

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