The Spanish word 'ranita' meaning 'little frog' comes from the Spanish word 'rana' (meaning 'frog') combined with the diminutive suffix '-ita'. The base word 'rana' itself comes directly from Latin 'rana', which also meant 'frog'. The diminutive suffix '-ita' is a very common way in Spanish to indicate something is small or cute.

The most obvious related Spanish word is 'rana' (frog), which is the base word from which 'ranita' is derived. While 'ranita' specifically refers to a small frog, 'rana' is the general term for any frog regardless of size.

While English 'frog' is not related to Spanish 'ranita', there are some scientific terms in English that come from the same Latin root 'rana'. For example, the scientific name for frogs and toads is 'Ranidae', and some species names include 'rana' like 'Rana temporaria' (the European common frog). The study of frogs is sometimes called 'ranology'.