Spanish words that start with R: del Río Rápido al Ratón Relajado

The letter R holds a unique charm in the Spanish language, known for its bold, rolling sound that immediately grabs attention. Whether it’s the soft flick of a single R or the emphatic trill of a double RR, mastering these sounds is essential for anyone looking to speak Spanish fluently. But it’s not just about pronunciation: learning Spanish words that start with R opens doors to a more diverse and colorful vocabulary, allowing for richer conversations and a deeper understanding of the language.

In this post, we’ll take you on a journey through the history of the letter R, explore some important differences between R and RR, and dive into a collection of nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs that start with this letter. Knowing these words will not only improve your pronunciation but also enhance your overall language proficiency.

History of the letter R in Spanish

The history of the letter R stretches back to ancient Semitic alphabets, where it was represented by a symbol called “resh” that looked like a person’s head. This character evolved into the Greek letter “rho” and eventually into the Latin “R,” which is the origin of the modern Spanish R. Its distinctive, vibrant sound has been present in many languages throughout history; in Spanish, it has a special role in shaping the phonetic texture of the language.

Over time, the letter R in Spanish developed a dual identity, with both the single R, known as erre, and the double RR, known as erre doble, taking on unique pronunciations and linguistic functions. This evolution not only highlights the flexibility of the letter but also its importance in the Spanish sound system.

R vs RR in Spanish

In Spanish, the single R and the double RR have different pronunciations and roles. The single R can be pronounced as a soft flap when it appears in the middle of words, while the double RR is always a strong trill, often found between vowels.

For a deeper dive into the phonetic differences between R and RR, we invite you to check out our detailed post on how to roll your Rs in Spanish.

Words in Spanish that start with R

The letter R is one of the most common consonants in Spanish, so learning Spanish words that start with R can significantly enhance your vocabulary, improve your pronunciation, and boost your fluency.

For the rest of this post, we’ll introduce groups of words that start with R in Spanish, broken down into nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. We’ll round out the post with another section on words in Spanish that start with R prefixes.

Nouns that start with R

Nouns are words that name people, places, things, ideas, or concepts. Let’s take a look at these Spanish nouns that start with R

Spanish R nouns	English translation
La rabia	Anger, Rabies
La radio	Radio
La raíz	Root
La rama	Branch
La rana	Frog
El ratón	Mouse
El rayo	Lightning, Ray
La receta	Recipe
El recibo	Receipt
El recuerdo	Memory
El regalo	Gift
La renta	Rent
El relato	Story
El reloj	Watch, Clock
La reserva	Reservation
La respuesta	Answer, Response
El restaurante	Restaurant
La reunión	Meeting, Gathering
El río	River
El rincón	Corner
La rima	Rhyme
La risa	Laugh
La roca	Rock
El rompecabezas	Puzzle
La ropa	Clothes
La rueda	Wheel
El ruido	Noise
La ruta	Route, Path

Verbs that start with R

Many Spanish words that start with R are verbs. These words express actions, states, or occurrences. Let’s take a look!

Spanish R verbs	English translation
Rasurarse	To shave
Razonar	To reason
Realizar	To carry out, To perform
Reemplazar	To replace
Rechazar	To reject
Recibir	To receive
Reciclar	To recycle
Recordar	To remember
Recorrer	To roam, To travel
Redactar	To write, To draft
Reflexionar	To reflect
Refrescar	To refresh
Regar	To water
Regalar	To gift
Regresar	To return
Reír	To laugh
Relajarse	To relax
Respirar	To breathe
Resultar	To result, To turn out
Reparar	To fix, To repair
Rezar	To pray
Rogar	To beg
Romper	To break
Rugir	To roar

Adjectives that start with R

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, giving more information about them. Many Spanish words that start with R act as adjectives, so we’ve picked some of the most common ones to present in this list.

Spanish R adjectives	English translation
Radical *	Radical
Radiante *	Radiant
Rápido	Fast, Quick, Rapid
Raro	Weird, Rare, Strange
Razonable *	Reasonable
Realista *	Realistic
Rebelde *	Rebellious
Recto	Straight
Redondo	Round
Refinado	Refined
Regular *	Regular
Relajado	Relaxed
Reluciente *	Shiny, Gleaming
Rentable *	Profitable
Reservado	Reserved, Private
Resistente *	Resistant
Respetuoso	Respectful
Resuelto	Determined, Resolute
Rico	Rich, Delicious
Rígido	Rigid, Stiff
Rojo	Red
Romántico	Romantic
Rosado	Pink
Roto	Broken
Ruidoso	Noisy, Loud
Ruin *	Mean, Despicable

* These adjectives are invariable. All the other adjectives change form to respect the gender and number of the nouns they modify.

Adverbs that start with R

Adverbs play a crucial role in enhancing our language by providing additional information about verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Let’s explore a variety of these words in Spanish that start with R.

Spanish	English
Radicalmente	Radically
Racionalmente	Rationally
Rápidamente	Quickly, Fast
Raramente	Rarely
Razonablemente	Reasonably
Recién, Recientemente	Recently, Just
Relajadamente	Relaxedly
Relativamente	Relatively
Reiteradamente	Repeatedly
Repetidamente	Repeatedly
Remotamente	Remotely
Repentinamente	Suddenly
Responsablemente	Responsibly
Respetuosamente	Respectfully
Respectivamente	Respectively
Regularmente	Regularly
Rigurosamente	Rigorously
Ritmicamente	Rhythmically
Rotundamente	Emphatically
Rudamente	Rudely
Ruidosamente	Noisily

Spanish prefixes that start with R

Prefixes play a crucial role in the Spanish language by modifying the meanings of root words and expanding vocabulary. Since many Spanish words that start with R are built on prefixes, we’re including them here in their own section.

A couple of these prefixes have similar English counterparts, but translating prefixes on their own is rarely exact. For this reason, we’ll start with a simple list of Spanish R prefixes, and follow with sections explaining each one in more detail.

Spanish R prefixes

Re-

Recontra-

Requete-

Rete-

Retro-

Now, let’s take a look at each of these Spanish R prefixes.

Re-

The prefix re- is one of the most common in Spanish. Like its counterpart in English, it’s used to indicate repetition, intensification, or a return to a previous state. It can mean again or back.

• Rehacer – To redo

• Releer – To reread

• Reactivar – To reactivate

Recontra-

The prefix recontra- is an intensifier in Spanish, often used in colloquial language to exaggerate or amplify a quality. It intensifies the adjective or verb to which it is attached, meaning super or extremely.

• Recontrafácil – Super easy

• Recontrafeliz – Extremely happy

Requete-

Similar to recontra-, the prefix requete– is used as an intensifier in Spanish. It is often used in colloquial or informal language to mean very or super. It is applied to adjectives or adverbs.

• Requetebién – Very well

• Requetegrande – Super big

Rete-

The prefix rete- is another colloquial intensifier used in some Latin American Spanish dialects. It has a similar function to recontra- and requete-, emphasizing an extreme degree of the quality.

• Reteinteresante – Very interesting

• Retebueno – Very big

Retro-

The prefix retro- refers to something that’s backward, in the past, or relating to previous styles or events. It is often used in contexts that evoke nostalgia or historical references. You have this same prefix in English, but it’s a lot more common in Spanish.

• Retrospectiva – Retrospective

• Retroceder – To go backwards, To back up

• Retroalimentación – Feedback

Conclusion: Spanish words that start with R

Today’s post was a quick and easy introduction to a variety of words in Spanish that start with R. We started out with a basic history of the letter, tracing its roots back to pre-Latin phonetics. We then explained that we have some important differences to consider between the single R and the double R in Spanish, specifically with respect to how to pronounce the letter R in Spanish.

Then we got into our vocab lists of words that start with R in Spanish, introducing some of the most common Spanish R nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. We ended with a section on Spanish R words that begin with specific prefixes. In total today, we’ve learned over 100 Spanish words that start with R!