Dicho español · Spanish proverb

«Palabra de rey, palabra de ley.»

Word for word

Word of king, word of law.

What it really means

The closest English equivalent: A king's word is law.

Used to emphasize that a promise or commitment must be kept, especially when someone's word carries weight. It's said to remind people that a serious promise is binding.

Hear it in a sentence

Prometiste ayudarme y palabra de rey, palabra de ley, así que espero que cumplas.

You promised to help me and a king's word is law, so I expect you to follow through.

Why learn dichos?

Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your exact level.

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