AbstractAbsorption and fluorescence spectroscopies were applied to study the adsorption of rhodamine 6G on several smectite-type clays in aqueous suspension. The dye can be adsorbed as the monomeric and the dimeric forms on both the external and the interlamellar surfaces of the clay. The presence of these species and their evolution with the stirring time of the sample and the relative dye/clay concentration depend on the nature of the smectite, the clay concentration and the particle size, factors that also affect the dispersion degree of the clay particles in water.