noun · #455
a while
Example: Descansa un rato.
Rest for a while.
Spanish → English
el rato
el rato is Spanish for a while.
What el rato means
How common is it?
el rato is ranked #455 of the 500 most common Spanish words. It sits in the second half of the list: still everyday vocabulary, but you will meet it less often than the first two hundred.
Nearby on the frequency list
Words with a similar frequency to el rato — learning them together is more efficient than learning them alphabetically.
- el animal — animal
- la flor — flower
- la mañana siguiente — the next morning
- la vez pasada — last time
- la mayoría — the majority
- el resto — the rest
See all 500 most common Spanish words
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Compiled and checked by the Flipkado team · Last updated 2026-08-22