Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "river" in Spanish
"River" in Spanish is río, pronounced REE-oh (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a masculine noun (el río, plural los ríos).
| Spanish | río |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | REE-oh |
| Meaning | river |
| Gender | masculine: el río |
| Plural | los ríos |
| Frequency | #161 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice. Gender and plural: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
How to pronounce río
Río is pronounced REE-oh, in IPA /ˈrio/. Río has two syllables, REE-oh, with the stress on the first. The written accent on í marks that syllable. On a keyboard without Spanish letters it is often typed "rio"; the correct spelling is río.
- Rr, and r at the start of a word, is rolled.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Is río masculine or feminine?
Río is masculine, so it takes el (the) and un (a): el río. The plural is los ríos. That fits the usual pattern: most nouns ending in -o are masculine.
Example sentences
Un río largo
a long river
El río refleja el sol
The river reflects the sun
Nadamos en el río
We swim in the river
How to remember río
río [REE-oh] sounds like the English “Rio”. Picture this:
Rio de Janeiro means «January River»: the río flows right through the name.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice río
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.