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How to Say "ray" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “ray” is “rayo” — use 'rayo' when referring to a beam of light, heat, or energy, such as a sunbeam or a lightning bolt..

English → Spanish

rayo

/rra-yo//ˈraʝo/

nounB1general
Use 'rayo' when referring to a beam of light, heat, or energy, such as a sunbeam or a lightning bolt.
A single, distinct beam of bright golden sunlight cutting through a darker space.

Examples

Un rayo de sol se filtraba por la ventana.

A ray of sunshine filtered through the window.

Le hicieron una radiografía de rayos X para ver el hueso roto.

They took an X-ray (ray of X) to see the broken bone.

Technical Usage

When talking about X-rays (radiography), the full term is 'rayos X' (plural), even though we often shorten it to just 'X-ray' in English.

manta

MAHN-tah/ˈmanta/

nounB1general
Use 'manta' (often as 'manta raya') when referring to the flat, cartilaginous marine fish.
A large, flat stingray swimming gracefully near the sandy seabed in clear blue ocean water.

Examples

La manta raya es un animal marino fascinante por su forma plana.

The stingray is a fascinating marine animal because of its flat shape.

Tuvimos suerte y vimos una manta gigante cerca de la costa.

We were lucky and saw a giant ray near the coast.

Visual Connection

This meaning relates to the first one because the stingray is flat and wide, like a 'blanket' covering the seabed.

Confusing Light Beams with Fish

The most common mistake is using 'rayo' for the fish. Remember that 'rayo' is for beams (light, lightning), while 'manta' (or 'manta raya') is specifically for the marine animal.

Related Translations

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