Skip to content

reloj

clock

noun rreh-LOH Less Common

Origin: From Old Catalan relotge, ultimately Latin horologium from Greek horologion (time-teller).

Also means

watch

Usage Note

Reloj distinguishes type by modifier: reloj de pared ('wall clock'), reloj de pulsera ('wristwatch'), reloj despertador ('alarm clock'). Its plural relojes adds -es because the word ends in a consonant. The final j is often dropped in casual speech, though standard Spanish pronounces it as a soft aspiration.

Examples

"El reloj marcaba las tres de la tarde."

Natural Translation

The clock read three in the afternoon.

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