Spanish Swear Words: 45 Curse Words by Country and Strength

Before you learn Spanish swear words

Two things first, because they change how you should read everything below.

Spanish swears more than English. In Spain in particular, words that would get you a raised eyebrow in an English office are used by grandmothers, on morning television, and by politicians in parliament. "Joder" is roughly as strong as the F-word by dictionary definition and roughly as strong as "damn" by actual usage in Madrid. If you calibrate Spanish swearing to English standards you will be permanently shocked and permanently misjudging people.

Every country is different. A word that is cheerful and friendly in Argentina is a serious insult in Mexico. A verb that means "to take the bus" in Spain means something very different in most of Latin America. The single most important column in every table below is the country column. Learn the swear words for the country you are actually going to.

Strength scale used on this page, from 1 to 5:

• 1 Mild. Children say it. "Damn", "crap".
• 2 Everyday. Adults say it freely among friends. "Shit", "bloody".
• 3 Strong. Fine with friends, not with your boss, not with someone's mother. The F-word range.
• 4 Insulting. Directed at a person, this starts a fight.
• 5 Do not use. Slurs and the words that are hostile in every context.

The universal Spanish swear words

These work, more or less, everywhere Spanish is spoken. Strength varies by country and is noted.

Spanish swear words from Spain

Spain swears constantly, creatively and without much embarrassment. These are the ones you will hear on any street in Madrid or Barcelona.

• ¡Joder! The big one. Surprise, annoyance, emphasis, or just a way to start a sentence. "Joder, qué calor" = damn, it's hot. Softened versions: jolín, jolines, jopé, jo (all around strength 1, used by children and people who do not swear).
• ¡Hostia! / ¡Hostias! Surprise. "¡Hostia, qué tarde es!" = damn, it's late. "Una hostia" is a slap. "La hostia" means "the best" or "unbelievable". Softened: ostras (oysters).
• ¡Coño! Surprise or emphasis. In Spain it is almost as common as joder and no stronger. "¿Dónde coño está?" = where the hell is it?
• Gilipollas. The insult of choice. "Eres un gilipollas" = you're a dickhead. Adjective form: gilipollez (a stupid thing).
• Capullo. Milder jerk.
• Cabrón. Bastard, but also "you clever git" between friends.
• Me cago en... Fill in the blank. La leche (the milk) and la mar (the sea) are the mild ones; anything involving family or religion is strong.
• Vete a tomar por culo. Get lost, very rudely. "A tomar por culo" also just means "very far away": "El pueblo está a tomar por culo."
• Qué cojones / qué coño. What the hell.
• De puta madre. Brilliant, excellent. Yes, it contains "whore mother", and yes, people say it about a good meal.
• Mierda. Shit. "Una mierda" = rubbish. "Ni de coña" (not a chance) is related to coño and is completely normal.
• Cagarla. To screw up. "La he cagado" = I've messed up. Strength 2.
• Flipar. Not a swear word, but it goes with them: "Flipo" = I can't believe it.

How strong is Spanish swearing, really? A useful rule: in Spain, joder, coño, hostia, mierda and cojones are strength 2 in practice. You will hear them from teachers and in front of grandparents. The words that still carry weight are insults directed at a person (gilipollas, hijo de puta, cabrón to a stranger) and anything that drags in someone's mother or God.

Mexican Spanish swear words

Mexico has the richest swearing vocabulary in the Spanish-speaking world, and it revolves around one verb.

Chingar literally means "to f*ck" and, by extension, to bother, to ruin, to work hard, to steal, to fail, and about forty other things depending on the prefix and the tone. The essential forms:

Notice that the same root gives you the worst insult in the language (chinga tu madre) and a warm compliment (qué chingón). Tone and context carry everything.

Other Mexican essentials:

• Pinche. The Mexican adjective for "damn/bloody/f*cking": pinche pendejo, pinche calor, pinche coche. On its own as a noun, a pinche is a kitchen hand, which is where it came from.
• Pendejo. Idiot, dumbass. The default Mexican insult. Strength 3. "No seas pendejo" = don't be an idiot.
• Güey / wey. Not a swear word anymore, just "dude", but it came from buey (ox, meaning idiot). "¿Qué onda, güey?" = what's up, man? Every third word among young Mexicans.
• Verga. ¡Qué verga! / ¡A la verga! = damn! / to hell with it. "Me vale verga" = I don't give a damn. "Vale verga" = it's worthless. Strength 3 to 4. Very common, very vulgar.
• Cabrón. Bastard, or "dude" between friends. "Está cabrón" = it's really hard / really cool.
• Mamón. Arrogant jerk. "No seas mamón" = don't be a jerk.
• Culero. Coward, asshole. Strength 3.
• Puto. In Mexico this is a homophobic slur first and an intensifier second. Mexican football fans chant it and FIFA fines the federation every time. Understand it, do not use it.
• Chale. Mild disappointment. "Chale, se canceló" = aw man, it got cancelled. Strength 1.
• ¡Híjole! Wow / yikes. Strength 0, the polite exclamation.
• Ni madres. No way. "Me vale madres" = I don't care at all. Madre is a surprisingly loaded word in Mexico; "qué poca madre" = how awful, "a toda madre" = fantastic.
• Desmadre. Chaos, a mess, or a wild party. "Fue un desmadre" = it was mayhem. Strength 1 to 2.

Argentine Spanish swear words

Argentine swearing is loud, constant and mostly affectionate.

• Boludo / boluda. Literally "big-balled", meaning idiot, but between friends it's just "mate": "Che, boludo, ¿qué hacés?" Said to a stranger in anger, it's an insult. The line is tone.
• Pelotudo / pelotuda. Same idea, less affectionate. Real insult. Strength 3 to 4.
• La concha de tu madre / la concha de la lora. The strong one. "La concha de la lora" (the parrot's shell) is a softened, almost jokey version. "La concha de tu madre" is a fight.
• ¡La puta madre! Damn! Or, confusingly, "excellent!": "¡La puta madre, qué golazo!"
• Hijo de puta. As everywhere. Also "qué hijo de puta" for a cunning play.
• Forro. Condom, meaning a jerk. "Sos un forro." Strength 3.
• Pajero. Wanker, lazy person. Strength 3. (In Mexico this means something else and is mild.)
• Cagar. To screw up, as in Spain: "La cagué." Also "cagarse de risa" = to piss yourself laughing, and "cagarse en" = to not care about.
• Ni en pedo. No way. "Estar en pedo" = to be drunk. "Al pedo" = pointless, for nothing. Pedo (fart) does a lot of work in Argentina.
• Chabón. Guy, dude. Not a swear word.
• Che. Hey. Not a swear word, but the word the whole country is known for.

Chilean, Colombian, Peruvian and Caribbean swear words

Chile

• Weón / hueón / huevón. The most-used word in Chile. Friend, idiot, "man", "hey", subject, object. "Oye weón" = hey man. "Qué weón más weón" = what a total idiot. Strength depends entirely on tone.
• Culiao / culiado. Strong insult, "fcked one". "Weón culiao" = you fcking idiot. Strength 4.
• Conchetumadre / conchesumadre. The Chilean compression of "la concha de tu madre". Strength 4.
• Chucha. Damn. Also far away. Strength 3.
• Cachai? Get it? Not a swear word, but you will hear it constantly.
• Po. Chilean filler ("pues"). "Sí po", "no po", "ya po". Zero strength, total addiction.

Colombia

• Gonorrea. Yes, the disease. In Medellín it's a heavy insult ("es una gonorrea") and, among friends, weirdly affectionate. Strength 4 to a stranger.
• Marica. Literally a homophobic slur, but in Colombian youth speech it's "dude" and used every sentence, including by gay Colombians. As a foreigner, understand it and be careful with it. Strength 1 among friends who use it, 5 as an actual slur.
• Hijueputa / juepucha. Compressed "hijo de puta". "Juepucha" is the softened version, strength 1.
• Berraco / verraco. Tough, impressive, or angry. Not really a swear word. "Es un berraco" = he's a beast (positive).
• Chimba. Cool ("qué chimba") or, in other contexts, the vulva. Context matters. Strength 2.
• Malparido / malparida. "Badly born", a serious insult. Strength 4.
• Careverga / carechimba. Dickface. Strength 4.

Peru

• Conchatumadre / concha tu madre. The big one. Strength 4.
• Huevón. Idiot, or mate, as in Chile.
• Pucha / pucha vida. Darn. Strength 1.
• Cojudo / cojuda. Idiot. Strength 3.
• Chucha. Damn. Strength 3.

Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic

• Coño. Venezuela uses coño the way Spain does, as constant punctuation. "¡Coño, chico!" Strength 2 there.
• Verga. Venezuela shares Mexico's love of verga: "¡Qué verga!" (damn), "vergación" (Maracaibo, an intensifier), "me vale verga".
• Ño. Cuban shortening of coño. Strength 1.
• Pinga. Cuban and Caribbean word for the penis, used as an expletive: "¡Pinga!" "De pinga" = terrible OR great, depending on tone. Strength 3.
• Comemierda. "Shit-eater", meaning a snob or an idiot. Cuba. Strength 3.
• Cabrón. In the Caribbean it can mean "excellent" as well as "bastard": "Está cabrón" = it's awesome.
• Puñeta. Puerto Rico. Damn it! Strength 2. Also "vete pa'l carajo" = go to hell.
• Diablo. Dominican surprise: "¡Diablo!" = wow. Strength 1.

The Spanish swear words you should not use

Understand these so you know when you are being insulted. Do not say them.

• Any homophobic slur used as an insult: puto (Mexico), maricón, marica (when used as a slur), pato (Caribbean). Locals may use some of these casually among themselves. You are not a local.
• Anything involving someone's mother said in anger: chinga tu madre, la concha de tu madre, me cago en tu madre, hijo de puta to a stranger. These end conversations and start fights in every country.
• Ethnic and racial insults. Spanish has plenty. None of them are worth knowing beyond recognising them.
• Religious swearing in religious company. Me cago en Dios and hostia are common in Spain among people who do not care, and deeply offensive to people who do. Read the room.
• Sexual insults to women: puta, zorra (fox, meaning slut), perra. Even in countries where puta is an everyday intensifier, aimed at a woman it is the worst thing you can say.

The polite versions: how to swear without swearing

Every Spanish swear word has a softened stand-in that lets you get the feeling out in front of your in-laws.

Miércoles for mierda is the one to remember. It's the exact equivalent of "sugar" for "shit", and everybody knows what you mean.

Grammar of swearing: how the words fit into sentences

Learning the words is not enough; you have to know where they go.

As exclamations on their own. ¡Joder! ¡Mierda! ¡Carajo! ¡Hostia! ¡Coño! All of these are complete sentences.

As "what the hell" inserts. Qué + swear word + rest of question: ¿Qué coño quieres? ¿Qué carajo pasa? ¿Qué chingados haces? ¿Qué cojones es eso? The swear word goes right after qué, dónde, cómo or quién.

As adjectives. Pinche, puto/puta, maldito and jodido go before the noun: pinche tráfico, puto calor, maldito ordenador, jodido lunes. Note that puto/puta before a noun is an intensifier, not a comment on the noun's morals.

As "go to hell". Vete a + place: vete a la mierda, vete al carajo, vete a la chingada, vete a tomar por culo, vete a la verga, andate a la concha de tu madre (Argentina).

As "I don't care". Me importa un + something worthless: me importa un carajo, un pito, un huevo, un cojón, una mierda, un bledo (polite), un pepino (polite). Mexico: me vale madres, me vale verga.

As "you're kidding". No me jodas, no me chingues (Mexico), no jodas, ¡no me digas! (polite).

As compliments. De puta madre (Spain), qué chingón (Mexico), la puta madre (Argentina, when happy), está cabrón (Mexico and Caribbean), es la hostia (Spain). If someone calls your cooking "de puta madre", say gracias.

How to react when someone swears at you

If a stranger swears at you in anger, the answer in every country is the same: do not escalate, do not repeat the word back with a bad accent, walk away. Nobody has ever won a swearing contest in their second language.

If a friend swears at you affectionately (boludo, cabrón, weón, güey, marica in Colombia), you have been accepted. The correct reply is to laugh and, if you are feeling brave, use the same word back with a smile. Do not use a stronger one. Do not use one from a different country.

If you swear by accident (you said coger in Mexico, or concha in Argentina, or asked for a pinche in a Spanish kitchen), just say "perdón, soy extranjero" (sorry, I'm foreign). It gets a laugh every time and you will never make that mistake again.

Practise hearing them, not saying them

Here is the honest advice for a learner: your goal with Spanish swear words is to understand them instantly, so you know when a conversation has turned, when someone is joking, and when a compliment is actually a compliment. Saying them well is a much later skill. Swearing with a foreign accent and slightly wrong timing sounds strange to natives in the same way a tourist saying "innit, bruv" sounds strange in London.

So listen for them. Watch Spanish films and series with the subtitles on and notice how often joder appears in a scene set in Spain, or wey in a Mexican one. Then, if you want to practise the rhythm of real conversation, including the casual expletives and the fast, messy speech that comes with them, do it out loud with a partner that talks back. SPAIKING's AI speaking partner will hold a natural conversation with you and correct your pronunciation in real time, which is the only way the J in joder or the double-L in caballero ever becomes automatic.