Skip to content

raíl

rail

noun rrah-EEL Rare

Origin: from English 'rail'

Also means

track

Usage Note

Raíl is borrowed directly from English 'rail' and refers to the metal bar of a railway track. It is more common in Spain; Latin American Spanish often prefers riel. The accent on the 'í' separates the vowels into two syllables (ra-íl). The plural is raíles.

Examples

"El tren descarriló al salirse del raíl."

Natural Translation

The train derailed when it left the rail.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic