Spanish word

rr

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈere/

Meaning

  • feminine nounrolled r

Example

La rr se pronuncia como una vibrante múltiple en palabras como carro.

The rr is pronounced as a rolled sound in words like car.

Illustration for rr (rolled r)

More examples

Practica el sonido de la rr con palabras como perro.

Practice the sound of rr with words like perro.

Core concept

Sustained rapid trill of the tongue tip against the front of the upper mouth.

Common phrases

  • sonido de la rr

    sound of rr

  • pronunciar la rr

    pronounce the rr

Similar words

erre: Informal spoken term for the rolled-r sound heard in words like carro.
ere: Alphabetic designation for the single r sound, a short tongue tap.

Definition in Spanish

Rr señala la vibrante alveolar múltiple, un sonido vibrante en el que la punta de la lengua golpea los alvéolos varias veces y que contrasta fonológicamente con la vibrante simple r.

Word origin

The doubled letter rr reflects a historical tendency in Romance languages to mark stronger or geminated consonants, and in Spanish it indicates the alveolar trill rather than the single tap r.

Usage tips

  • Because rr is phonemic in Spanish, replacing it with a single r can change meaning in minimal pairs such as perro versus pero.

Other meanings

  • double rnoun

Opposites

  • vibrante simplealveolar tapnoun

Word lists with this word