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raro

RRA-rohˈra.ɾo

strange, weird

Also: odd
A bright blue banana resting on a wooden counter, symbolizing strangeness or something unusual.

📝 In Action

Tuve un sueño muy raro anoche.

A2

I had a very strange dream last night.

Mi vecino es un tipo un poco raro, casi nunca habla.

B1

My neighbor is a bit of a weird guy, he almost never speaks.

¡Qué raro! Pensé que había dejado mis llaves aquí.

A2

How strange! I thought I had left my keys here.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • un poco raro – a little weird
  • sentirse raro – to feel strange/weird
  • qué raro – how strange

rare, infrequent

Also: scarce, uncommon
Puerto Rico
A single golden tulip standing prominently in a vast field full of identical red tulips, representing scarcity.

📝 In Action

Es raro ver nevar en esta ciudad.

B1

It's rare to see snow in this city.

Encontrar un diamante de este tamaño es extremadamente raro.

B2

Finding a diamond of this size is extremely rare.

Rara vez salgo a cenar durante la semana.

B1

I rarely go out to dinner during the week.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • infrecuente (infrequent)
  • escaso (scarce)
  • inhabitual (unusual)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • rara vez – rarely, seldom
  • en raras ocasiones – on rare occasions
  • una especie rara – a rare species

🔀 Commonly Confused With

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✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: raro

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'raro' to mean 'infrequent'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
rareza(rarity, strangeness) — Noun
raramente(rarely) — Adverb
enrarecer(to make rare, to thin out) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'rārus', which meant 'having a wide texture', 'loose', or 'thin'. Think of a net with big holes. Over time, the idea of 'not dense' evolved to mean 'not frequent' (scarce, rare), and from there to 'not common' (unusual, strange).

First recorded: Early 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: rareFrench: rareItalian: raro

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'ser raro' and 'estar raro'?

Think of it as 'being' vs. 'acting'. 'Ser raro' describes a person's fundamental personality or a thing's nature (e.g., 'Él es un hombre raro' - He is a strange man). 'Estar raro' describes a temporary state or behavior (e.g., 'Él está raro hoy' - He is acting strange today).

How do I know if 'raro' means 'strange' or 'rare'?

Context is everything! If someone is talking about how often something happens (or doesn't happen), it probably means 'rare/infrequent'. If they are describing a person's behavior, a dream, or an unusual object, it most likely means 'strange/weird'.