rey
/ˈrei/masculine
The Spanish word for king is rey.
rey refers to a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation. In certain contexts, such as in the game of checkers, the related verb coronar is used to mean to king a piece.
Meaning: a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is rey. To refer to multiple kings, use the plural form reyes. If you are referring to a female ruler, the feminine form is reina.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈrei/
Did you know?
- The term rey can be used as a term of endearment between partners, similar to calling someone 'honey' or 'sweetie'.
- The word reyes is most commonly heard in January during el Día de Reyes, when children receive gifts from the Three Kings.
- In Spanish, the phrase el rey de la casa is often used jokingly to refer to a spoiled pet or a pampered child.
Examples in context
- Fue un buen rey.He was a good king.This sentence is useful for describing a former monarch using rey.Tatoeba #1365244 by marcelostockle, translation #1356323 by CK
- El rey no abdicó.The king didn't abdicate.This sentence is useful for describing a monarch's refusal to abdicate using rey.Tatoeba #1011580 by Shishir, translation #9741392 by DJ_Saidez
- El cliente es rey.The customer is king.This sentence is useful for expressing the proverb that the customer is king using rey.Tatoeba #1943728 by marcelostockle, translation #11734334 by Adelpa
- El rey de España es Felipe VI.The king of Spain is Felipe VI.
- Miguel es el rey del baloncesto en nuestra escuela.Miguel is the king of basketball in our school.
- ¡Eres el papi del estilo!You're the king of style!
- 213 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are at a museum looking at a portrait.
- Alejandro¿Quién es ese rey en el cuadro?Who is that king in the painting?
- SofíaEs un rey muy famoso de la historia.He is a very famous king from history.
- AlejandroParece un rey muy poderoso.He looks like a very powerful king.
- SofíaSí, Alejandro, era el rey de este país.Yes, Alejandro, he was the king of this country.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “king” translations and entries rey, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
