murciélago
/muɾˈθjelaɡo/
In Spanish, 'bat' the animal is said as murciélago.
The most common and widely recognized term for the nocturnal flying mammal is murciélago.
Which one should you use?
While murciélago is the standard term, Quiróptero is used specifically in scientific or academic contexts to refer to the order of mammals that includes bats. In certain parts of Latin America, the word vampiro may be used to refer to bats.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions, particularly in Latin America, vampiro may be used to refer to bats.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of murciélago is murciélagos.
How do you pronounce it?
/muɾˈθjelaɡo/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, murciélago is a rare example of a word containing all five vowels: a, e, i, o, and u.
- The word murciélago comes from the Vulgar Latin phrase mūrem caecum, which literally means 'blind mouse'.
Examples in context
- El murciélago es un mamífero nocturno fascinante.The bat is a fascinating nocturnal mammal.
- Quiróptero es el término que engloba a todos los murciélagos.Quiróptero is the term that encompasses all bats.
- ¡Los murciélagos son como ratones voladores!Bats are like flying mice!
- Vi un murciélago en el jardín.I saw a bat in the garden.
- El murciélago vuela durante la noche.The bat flies during the night.
- Ese murciélago tiene alas muy grandes.That bat has very large wings.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are looking at a nature documentary.
- Daniel¿Viste ese murciélago en la pantalla?Did you see that bat on the screen?
- LucíaSí, es un murciélago muy impresionante.Yes, it is a very impressive bat.
- DanielMe asusta un poco su vuelo.Its flight scares me a little.
- LucíaNo te preocupes, Daniel.Don't worry, Daniel.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry murciélago, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries murciélago, CC BY-SA 4.0.
