Spanish word

despertador

Pronunciation

IPA/despeɾtaˈðoɾ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounalarm clock

Example

¿A qué hora suena tu despertador?

At what time does your alarm clock go off?

Illustration for despertador (alarm clock)

More examples

Pon el despertador a las seis si no quieres llegar tarde.

Set the alarm for six if you don't want to be late.

Core concept

A bedside device that rings at a preset time to wake someone.

Common phrases

  • poner el despertador

    set the alarm

  • programar el despertador

    program the alarm

  • sonar el despertador

    alarm goes off

Similar words

alarma: An audible alert or signal that notifies at a scheduled time.
reloj: An instrument that displays the current time on a dial or screen.

Definition in Spanish

Aparato que produce un sonido a la hora fijada para despertar a una persona.

Word origin

From Spanish despertar 'to wake' plus the agentive suffix -dor, literally 'that which wakes' and applied to a device that awakens a person.

Usage tips

  • Despertador is masculine (el despertador) and normally denotes the physical device, while alarma often refers to the sound or alert.

Related words

Word lists with this word