How to Say "Rye" in Spanish - How To Say Guide

centeno

/θenˈteno/masculine

In Spanish, rye is called centeno.

centeno refers to the grass Secale cereale or its grains used as food.

Meaning: the grass Secale cereale or its grains as food (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

centeno is a masculine noun.

/θenˈteno/

The word centeno is an etymological relative of the English word 'percent'. Both are derived from the Latin word centum, meaning 'hundred'.
In some traditional Spanish rural contexts, centeno is associated with 'hard' breads that were historically meant to last longer than wheat bread during lean winters.
Spain has a specific variety of rye known as centeno negro, which is prized for producing a darker and more aromatic bread than the standard variety.

El centeno fue llamado el grano de la pobreza.
Rye was called the grain of poverty.
This sentence illustrates how centeno was historically referred to as a grain of poverty.
Tatoeba #180524 by cueyayotl, translation #1533 by Zifre
Estoy cosechando centeno.
I am harvesting rye.
This sentence shows the use of centeno in the context of harvesting.
Tatoeba #1688031 by marcelostockle, translation #1665422 by shanghainese
Sembraron un campo de centeno.
They sowed a field of rye.
This sentence demonstrates centeno being used in the context of sowing a field.
Tatoeba #12145608 by carlosalberto, translation #12145597 by carlosalberto
El pan de centeno es muy popular en Europa.
The rye bread is very popular in Europe.
Quisiera una tostada con pan de centeno, por favor.
I would like some toast with rye bread, please.

Javier and Sofía are at a bakery.

Sources

Wiktionary, “rye” translations and entries centeno, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries centeno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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