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Read our ultimate list of Spanish curse words and insults from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and much (includes audio for each word).
- Hijo de puta. "Hijo de puta," which translates literally to "son of a whore," is one of the strongest Spanish curse words. It's considered quite vulgar and is used to express anger or contempt towards someone.
- Mierda. Mierda translates directly to "shit" in English. It is used similarly to how we use the word in English, either as an expletive when something goes wrong or to describe something of poor quality.
- Imbécil. Imbécil is akin to calling someone an imbecile, jerk, moron, or idiot in English. It's used to call out someone's stupidity or ignorance. Spanish.
- Pendejo/a. Pendejo/a is a widely used insult in Latin America which generally means "dumbass." However, its literal translation to English is "pubic hair," which shows the creative linguistic liberties taken in insults.
Jul 15, 2024 · Some read like a grocery list jammed full of eggs, asparagus, cookies, and milk. Some go after your parents—others, your intelligence. Here are a few insults and curses to help (or hinder) you...
- Cabrón. Cabrón as a palabrota evolved from the literal meaning of the word in English, which is ‘huge goat’. It translates to English as ‘bastard’. The word was used to describe men who were unfaithful to their partners.
- Puta/ hijo de puta. In English, we have the phrase ‘son of a bitch’, which is exactly what hijo de puta translates to. To get a bit technical, puta translates to English as ‘bitch’, while hijo means ‘son’ or ‘daughter’.
- Gilipollas. There’s a whole story behind this Spanish curse word. Some say it originates from several centuries ago when a man named Don Baltasar Gil, was looking for suitors for his daughters.
- Carajo. This Spanish curse word has quite a few meanings. It can translate to English as ‘fuck’, ‘shit’ or ‘damn’. It can also refer to male genitalia as a pejorative insult.
- Eres tan feo/a qué hiciste llorar a una cebolla. (English translation: You’re so ugly you made an onion cry) Peeling and cutting an onion always makes you cry, whether you like it or not.
- ¡El burro sabe más que tú! (English translation: Donkeys know more than you!) Poor donkeys. They are really hard-working animals and don’t deserve to be in an insult.
- La mona aunque se vista de seda, mona se queda. (English translation: Although a monkey dresses in silk, it stays a monkey) Just like the English equivalent is ‘you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,’ we are pretty sure that there is one appropriate in your native language, too.
- Me cago en tu madre. (English translation: I shit on your mother) Insulting a mother can’t be listed as a funny insult. It is quite offensive, and a literal translation shows the severity of this insult.
Table of Contents. 1. General Spanish insults and swear words. 2. Insulting someone's intellect with Spanish curse words. 3. Hard Spanish swear words: hijo de puta and maricón. 4. List of Spanish insults in Spain.
A particularly forceful Spanish insult is any mention of someone else's mother, including also in its strongest form (e.g. ¡me cago en tu puta madre! "fuck your whore of a mother!", [9][10][11][12][13] in which "me cago" out of context means "I shit", but in this sentence it expresses disregard).
