Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| barril | /baˈril/ | masculine |
| tonel | /toˈnel/ | masculine |
| cuñete | /kuɲete/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| barrica | /baˈrika/ | feminine |
The general term for a round vessel made from staves bound with a hoop is barril. If you are talking about the action of putting or packing something in barrels, you can use the verb embarrilar. To express moving quickly or in an uncontrolled manner, the phrase ir disparado is used.
Which one should you use?
While barril is the general term, different words are used for specific types of containers. Use barrica specifically when referring to a wooden barrel used for aging wine or whiskey. For much larger vessels or casks, often denoting a specific unit of volume, use tonel. If you are referring to much smaller containers like metal or plastic canisters or kegs, use cuñete.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of barril is barriles. The plural form of the feminine barrica is barricas.
How do you pronounce it?
/baˈril/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word tonel is a diminutive form, meaning it was originally a 'small' version of a much larger vessel called a tone.
- The word barrica entered the Spanish language through the Gascon and Old Occitan languages rather than directly from Latin.
Examples in context
- Tom volcó el barril.Tom tipped the barrel over.This sentence is useful for describing the action of tipping over a barril.Tatoeba #1958946 by marcelostockle, translation #1877561 by CK
- Él se ocultó en un barril.He hid in a barrel.This sentence shows how someone might hide inside a barril.Tatoeba #10082753 by manufrutos, translation #10082684 by maaster
- ¿Cuántos litros de aceite hay en un barril?How many litres of oil are there in a barrel?This sentence is useful for asking about the volume of liquid inside a barril.Tatoeba #8583573 by Orphneus, translation #1821266 by Amastan
- El barril de vinoThe wine barrel
- Un tonel de whiskyA whiskey barrel
- Compré un barrilito de cerveza artesanalI bought a small barrel of craft beer
- El vino se almacena en barriles de robleThe wine is stored in oak barrels
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are working in an old winery.
- LucíaEse barril de madera es muy pesado.That wooden barrel is very heavy.
- DanielTienes razón, Lucía, déjame ayudarte.You are right, Lucía, let me help you.
- LucíaGracias, Daniel, el barril no se mueve.Thanks, Daniel, the barrel won't move.
- DanielLo moveremos juntos hacia la bodega.We will move it together toward the cellar.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “barrel” translations and entries barril, tonel, barrica, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries barrica, barril, tonel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
