Spanish swear words: what they mean, how strong they are, and where they offend
You will hear Spanish swearing long before any course teaches it, in films, in football crowds and from friends. Each country has its own set, and people in one place can be offended by a word that is friendly in another. Below: the common ones, with how strong they are and where they are used. The slurs are left out.
A note on strength. Mild is fine among friends, though an older relative may notice. Strong is not for work, strangers or children. With a very strong word you can end a conversation or start a fight.
The words
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shit! | ¡Mierda! | Everywhere. Strong, and very common as an exclamation |
| Damn! | ¡Carajo! | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina. Mild to strong. Less common in Spain |
| Fuck! | ¡Joder! | Spain. Mild to strong, and very common in speech. In Latin America joder means to annoy: no me jodas, don’t mess with me |
| Fuck! | ¡Hostia! or ¡Hostias! | Spain. Strong. From the communion wafer. ¡Ostras! is the mild version |
| Fuck! | ¡Coño! | Spain. Strong. A vulgar word for the vulva, used for surprise or anger |
| Fuck! | ¡Chingado! or ¡Chingada madre! | Mexico. Strong to very strong. ¡Chin! is the mild version |
| Fuck! | ¡La puta madre! | Argentina, and ¡Puta madre! in Mexico. Strong |
| Son of a bitch! | ¡Hijueputa! or ¡Jueputa! | Colombia. Strong as an exclamation, very strong at a person |
| No way! | ¡No mames! | Mexico. Strong, and very common among young people. ¡No manches! is the mild version |
| idiot | idiota, imbécil | Everywhere. Mild to strong, depending on tone |
| silly, stupid | tonto, estúpido | Everywhere. Tonto is mild. Estúpido is stronger |
| idiot, jerk | gilipollas | Spain. Strong |
| jerk | capullo | Spain. Mild to strong |
| idiot | pendejo | Mexico, Colombia. Strong. See below for Argentina |
| idiot, dude | boludo, boluda | Argentina. Mild between friends, strong at a stranger |
| idiot | pelotudo, pelotuda | Argentina. Strong. The serious version of boludo |
| idiot, dude | huevón or güevón | Colombia. Mild between friends, strong at a stranger |
| bastard | cabrón, cabrona | Spain, Mexico. Strong, and friendly between men who know each other |
| asshole | culero, culera | Mexico. Strong |
| jerk | forro, forra | Argentina. Strong. Literally a lining, and slang for a condom |
| bastard | malparido, malparida | Colombia. Very strong |
| scumbag | gonorrea | Colombia. Very strong. Named after the disease, and one of the worst things you can call someone there |
| son of a bitch | hijo de puta | Everywhere. Very strong at a person |
| go to hell | vete a la mierda | Everywhere. Strong. Andate a la mierda in Argentina |
| go to hell | vete al carajo | Everywhere. Strong |
| fuck off | vete a la chingada | Mexico. Very strong |
| screw you | que te den | Spain. Strong |
| fuck you | chinga tu madre | Mexico. Very strong |
| fuck you | la concha de tu madre | Argentina. Very strong |
| I don’t give a damn | me importa una mierda | Everywhere. Strong |
| I don’t give a damn | me vale madre | Mexico. Strong. Me vale on its own is mild |
| I don’t give a damn | me la suda | Spain. Strong |
| I don’t give a damn | me chupa un huevo | Argentina. Strong |
What trips learners up
The strength depends on the target. ¡Mierda! when you drop your phone is an exclamation. Eres una mierda at a person is an insult. The same is true of almost every word above. An exclamation about a situation is much milder than the same word aimed at someone.
Mothers are the line. Anything about someone’s mother is the most offensive thing you can say in all four countries: hijo de puta, chinga tu madre, la concha de tu madre. In Mexico the word madre is loaded on its own, so people say tu mamá when they mean your mother, and tu madre can sound like the start of an insult.
Friendly insults are friendly only between friends. Boludo in Buenos Aires, güey in Mexico, huevón in Colombia and cabrón in Spain are common between friends. From a stranger or in the wrong tone, each one is an insult. Do not open with them.
Religious swearing in Spain. Spain has a family of oaths built on me cago en, I shit on. Me cago en la leche and me cago en diez are mild. Me cago en la puta is strong. Me cago en Dios and anything about the Virgin are very strong, and believers take offence. Latin Americans use these far less.
Chingar in Mexico. Chingar means to fuck, to screw someone over, or to bother. Chingón means great, una chinga is a beating or a slog, a la chingada is to hell, chingadera is a piece of junk. The positive forms are still vulgar.
Pinche in Mexico. Pinche before a noun means lousy or damn: este pinche tráfico. It is strong, and very common. In Spain pinche is a kitchen assistant.
Innocent words that are rude elsewhere
| Word | Innocent in | Rude in |
|---|---|---|
| coger | Spain and Colombia, where it means to take or catch: coger el autobús | Mexico and Argentina, where it means to have sex. Say tomar el autobús there |
| concha | Mexico, where it is a sweet bread roll, and everywhere as a seashell | Argentina, where it is a vulgar word for the vulva |
| cajeta | Mexico, where it is a goat’s milk caramel | Argentina, where it is vulgar |
| pendejo | Argentina, where it is a kid or teenager, mildly dismissive | Mexico and Colombia, where it is a strong insult |
| polla | Colombia, where la polla is a betting pool among friends | Spain, where it is a vulgar word for penis |
| pija | Spain, where una pija is a posh girl | Argentina, where it is a vulgar word for penis |
The coger trap is the best known. A Spaniard in Mexico City saying voy a coger un taxi gets a laugh. In Colombia coger is used normally for buses and taxis.
Regional differences
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damn! (mild) | ¡Chin! or ¡Chale! | ¡Ostras! or ¡Jolín! | ¡Juepucha! | ¡Pucha! or ¡La pucha! |
| Fuck! (strong) | ¡Chingado! | ¡Joder! or ¡Hostia! | ¡Jueputa! | ¡La puta madre! |
| No way! | ¡No mames! | ¡No me jodas! | ¡No joda! | ¡No te puedo creer! |
| Idiot (strong) | pendejo | gilipollas | pendejo or huevón | pelotudo |
| Dude (friendly) | güey | tío or tía | parce or parcero | boludo |
| Great (vulgar) | chingón or a toda madre | de puta madre or cojonudo | qué chimba | |
| What a mess | qué desmadre | qué follón | qué despelote | qué quilombo |
Qué chimba in Colombia means “how great” and is very common among young people. Its origin is vulgar, and older Colombians may wince.
Quilombo in Argentina originally meant a brothel. Today it is mild, and qué quilombo is what anyone says about a traffic jam or a messy kitchen.
No joda in Colombia, especially on the Caribbean coast, is an all-purpose exclamation of surprise and fairly mild there.
Tío and tía in Spain are not swearing at all. They mean guy or girl, and “mate” between friends.
Softer versions
These softer words are safe in front of anyone.
| Spanish | Where | Replaces |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Caramba! or ¡Caray! | Everywhere, a little old-fashioned | carajo |
| ¡Miércoles! | Everywhere, jokey | mierda |
| ¡Ostras! | Spain | hostias |
| ¡Jolín! or ¡Jo! | Spain | joder |
| ¡Mecachis! | Spain | me cago en |
| ¡No manches! | Mexico | no mames |
| ¡Chin! | Mexico | chingado |
| ¡Juepucha! | Colombia | hijueputa |
| ¡Pucha! | Argentina | puta |
Slurs
Spanish has slurs about sexuality, ethnicity, disability and women, as English does. They are left out of this page. Some are used casually between friends in a few places, including one very common Colombian word that young men use like “dude”. They are still not safe for a learner to repeat.
The words in real sentences
- ¡Mierda, se me olvidaron las llaves! Shit, I forgot my keys.
- ¡Joder, qué frío hace! Fuck, it’s cold! (Spain)
- ¡No mames, güey, no te creo! No way, dude, I don’t believe you! (Mexico)
- Che, boludo, ¿venís esta noche? Hey, mate, are you coming tonight? (Argentina)
- ¡Qué chimba de concierto! What a great concert! (Colombia)
- Ese tipo es un gilipollas. That guy is an idiot. (Spain)
- ¡Qué quilombo hay en el centro! What a mess it is downtown! (Argentina)
- Me vale, haz lo que quieras. I don’t care, do what you want. (Mexico)
- ¡Ostras, qué susto! Blimey, what a fright! (Spain)
- Voy a tomar un taxi. I’m going to take a taxi. (Mexico, Argentina, where coger would be wrong)
Questions people ask
What is the worst swear word in Spanish? Anything aimed at someone’s mother. Hijo de puta said to someone’s face, chinga tu madre in Mexico and la concha de tu madre in Argentina are the strongest. In Colombia, gonorrea and malparido are close behind.
What does boludo mean? Literally a man with big testicles, and in practice an idiot. Between friends in Argentina it is “mate” or “dude”, used all the time. To a stranger it is an insult.
What does “no mames” mean? “No way” or “you’re kidding”, in Mexico. It is vulgar, and very common among young people. No manches is the version you can say in front of your grandmother.
Is “joder” a bad word? In Spain it is the everyday “fuck” or “damn” and is heard constantly, though not in formal settings. In Latin America it means to annoy, as in no me jodas, and is vulgar.
What does “pendejo” mean? In Mexico and Colombia, an idiot, and it is a strong insult. In Argentina a pendejo is a kid or a teenager, said with some scorn.
Why is “coger” rude in Mexico? In Mexico and Argentina it means to have sex. Use tomar or agarrar for taking a bus or grabbing something.
Is “cabrón” offensive? At a stranger, yes, in Spain and Mexico. Between close male friends it is affectionate. In Mexico, está cabrón also means “it’s tough”: el examen estuvo cabrón.
How do Spanish speakers say “fuck”? It depends on the country. Joder in Spain, chingar in Mexico. For the act itself, follar in Spain and coger in Argentina and Mexico. As an exclamation, ¡mierda! and ¡carajo! are understood everywhere.
Practise these words
mierda, tonto, idiota, estúpido, coger, tomar, madre, huevo, leche, tío. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.