Inklingo

How to Say "dye" in Spanish

English → Spanish

tinta

/teen-tah//ˈtinta/

nounB1general
Use 'tinta' when referring to a substance specifically designed to color materials like hair, fabric, or paper, often implying a more technical or specialized coloring agent.
A hand dipping a piece of white fabric into a bowl of bright red liquid dye.

Examples

Compré una tinta para teñir mi ropa de azul.

I bought a dye to color my clothes blue.

El peluquero me aplicó una tinta temporal para cambiar el tono de mi cabello.

The hairdresser applied a temporary dye to change the shade of my hair.

La fábrica utiliza tintas vegetales para teñir las camisetas.

The factory uses vegetable dyes to color the t-shirts.

color

/koh-lohr//koˈloɾ/

nounA1general
Use 'color' when referring to the general concept of hue or the substance that gives something its hue, but not necessarily a specialized dyeing product.
A high quality illustration of a bright, simple rainbow arc displaying the full spectrum of colors against a plain background.

Examples

Este tinte para el cabello es de un color muy natural.

This hair dye is a very natural color.

¿Cuál es tu color favorito?

What is your favorite color?

El color del cielo es azul.

The color of the sky is blue.

Me gusta la camisa, pero no el color.

I like the shirt, but not the color.

It's a Masculine Word

Even though it ends in '-or' and not '-o', 'color' is a masculine word. This means you always say 'el color' (the color) or 'un color' (a color).

Using 'la' instead of 'el'

Mistake: “Me gusta la color de tu coche.”

Correction: Me gusta el color de tu coche. Remember that 'color' is masculine, so it needs the masculine word 'el' before it.

'Tinta' vs. 'Color' for 'Dye'

The most common mistake is using 'color' when you mean a specific product used for dyeing. Remember that 'tinta' refers to the coloring substance itself, especially for applications like hair or fabric, while 'color' is the general term for hue or the resulting shade.

Related Translations

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