aguanieve
/aɡwanjebe/from spelling rulesfeminine
The English word sleet is aguanieve in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists cellisca.
Meaning: precipitation of rain–snow mixture (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| aguanieve | /aɡwanjebe/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
| cellisca | /θeˈʝiska/ | feminine |
The term refers to precipitation consisting of a mixture of rain and snow.
Which one should you use?
aguanieve refers to the mixture of rain and snow, whereas granizo refers specifically to hail. cellisca is a synonym for aguanieve that is often used to describe a more intense or driving sleet shower.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/aɡwanjebe/
Did you know?
- The word nieve, found in aguanieve, shares a distant root with the English word 'neve', which refers to the partially compacted granular snow at the top of a glacier.
- Unlike English, which has separate words for 'sleet' and 'slush', Spanish often relies on context or descriptive phrases to distinguish between the falling mixture and the melted residue.
- In some regions of Spain, the term cellisca can refer to a combination of sleet and wind, implying a storm rather than just a type of precipitation.
Examples in context
- Cae aguanieve.Sleet is falling.This sentence is useful for describing that aguanieve is falling.Tatoeba #7838516 by arh, translation #8740970 by Solana
- Hay mucha aguanieve en la carretera.There is a lot of sleet on the road.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are looking out the window at the weather.
- ElenaMira, ahora cae aguanieve.Look, now it is sleeting.
- JavierQué mal, no quiero conducir así.That's too bad, I don't want to drive like this.
- ElenaLa aguanieve es peor que la lluvia.Sleet is worse than rain.
- JavierTienes razón, Elena.You are right, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sleet” translations and entries aguanieve, cellisca, 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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
