Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| calificación | /kalifikaˈθjon/ /kalifikaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
| rating | /ˈreitin/ /ˈratin/ |
masculine |
In Spanish, calificación is the standard term used to describe a score, grade or position on a scale, such as an academic grade or a performance review. You can use the verb dar (to give) when talking about providing these ratings. Other formal terms include clasificación for the rating of movies or television shows, valoración for an evaluation or assessment and puntuación for a specific score or rating.
Which one should you use?
Calificación is the standard and formal way to express a rating or a grade. In contrast, rating is an anglicism often used in specific business or media contexts, particularly when referring to viewership or consumer metrics.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the feminine noun calificación is calificaciones.
How do you pronounce it?
/kalifikaˈθjon/
Did you know?
- In Spain, the word calificación can also refer to the legal classification of a crime or the official professional category of a worker.
- While calificación is the standard for a grade, in many Spanish-speaking countries, students might call their final grade a nota, which literally means 'note'.
- The word calificación derives from the Latin 'qualis', meaning 'of what kind'. Therefore, to give a rating is etymologically to specify the 'kind' or 'quality' of something.
Examples in context
- No quiero que baje mi calificación.I don't want my rating to go down.This sentence shows how to express a desire for a calificación not to decrease.Tatoeba #10092937 by manufrutos, translation #10092480 by ddnktr
- ¿Cuál es tu calificación?What is your rating?This sentence is used to ask someone for their calificación.Tatoeba #10067891 by carlosalberto, translation #1816424 by gleki
- La película tiene una clasificación de 5 estrellas.The movie has a rating of 5 stars.
- Mi valoración del producto es muy positiva.My rating of the product is very positive.
- Le di una puntuación perfecta al restaurante.I gave the restaurant a perfect score.
- La serie tiene una calificación excelente.The series has an excellent rating.
- Mi valoración de la experiencia fue muy positiva.My rating of the experience was very positive.
- Le di una calificación alta al productoI gave the product a high rating
- La atención al cliente fue excepcional, por eso la califico con 5 estrellasThe customer service was exceptional, that's why I rate it with 5 stars
- La calidad de este producto es increíble, le doy una valoración de 9 sobre 10.The quality of this product is incredible, I give it a rating of 9 out of 10.
- La película era aburrida, le doy solo 2 estrellas.The movie was boring, I only give it 2 stars.
- El restaurante tiene una calificación excelente según las opiniones de los clientes.The restaurant has an excellent rating according to customer reviews.
- Su calificación fue muy alta.Her rating was very high.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are discussing a new movie.
- AlejandroMira la calificación de esta película.Look at the rating of this movie.
- SofíaTiene una calificación muy baja, Alejandro.It has a very low rating, Alejandro.
- AlejandroQuizás no sea tan mala.Maybe it is not that bad.
- SofíaMejor busquemos otra opción, Sofía dice.Better let's look for another option, Sofía says.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rating” translations and entries calificación, rating, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calificación, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
