A very attractive, gorgeous woman. It's a widespread street compliment in Latin America that can be sweet between couples or bold when said to strangers.

Abbreviation for "not gonna lie." Used to introduce a sincere, sometimes uncomfortable or unexpected opinion. Widely used across Spanish-speaking social media.

To stay up all night, either voluntarily or because you can't fall asleep. It's the battle between your body begging for rest and your brain deciding it's the perfect time to overthink everything.

Sounds like the English letters "I-D-K." Short for "I don't know," used constantly in chats to answer with genuine uncertainty or lazy indifference.

In Colombia, to read a situation correctly and understand what is really going on before saying or doing something that could backfire. It is a call to pay attention to the context around you, pick up on the cues, and act with awareness instead of walking in blind.

Something that was posted on Twitter/X and became public for the whole world to see and judge. Once a message is "tuiteado," there is no taking it back, because the internet never forgets and never forgives. Used across all Spanish speaking countries as the standard verb for tweeting.

A person who desperately seeks approval and attention from the opposite sex by trying to seem different or special. The classic 'I'm not like the others' that everyone can spot from a mile away.

Short for "what you doing," a quick text opener equivalent to "what are you up to?" Often used to start a conversation, sometimes with ulterior motives when sent late at night.

Short for "never mind." Used across the Spanish-speaking internet to withdraw something you said or cancel a question. Exact same meaning as the English original.

Tight, voluminous curly hair. Used in Colombia and Venezuela with no negative connotation at all; it is simply a neutral, everyday description of a natural and very common hair type. Crespo hair is celebrated, not stigmatized, in the places this word comes from.

Borrowed from English "on God," used across Spanish-speaking countries to swear that something is completely true. The equivalent of "I swear" or "no joke."

To play like a coward in video games: hiding, camping, or avoiding direct fights. In gaming, 'ratear' is the strategy of those who prefer surviving over actually fighting.

To make the most of a situation, resource, or person. Someone who sabe sacar provecho (knows how to capitalize) never lets a good opportunity go to waste, and can even turn a bad situation into a win.

Borrowed from English slang, meaning "dead serious" or "for real." Used to stress that you're not joking at all. Widely used across Spanish-speaking social media.

To fall short of expectations, to underdeliver after a lot of buildup. Across Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Spain, when something or someone "queda a deber," the gap between what was promised and what actually happened is painfully obvious.

When a program, app, or video game glitches and behaves erratically and unexpectedly. Also used for people who get confused, freeze up, or act weird as if their brain just crashed.

To drop or release something new into the world: music, a video game item, a product, or digital content. It's the gamer and music anglicism used for any hyped-up launch.

A phrase of calm resignation used across Spanish-speaking countries to accept something bad that cannot be changed and move on without overthinking it. Borrowed directly from English.

An expression for raining brutally hard, as if buckets were being dumped from the sky. It's the Latin equivalent of 'raining cats and dogs,' and when it actually rains a cántaros, no umbrella in the world is enough to keep you dry. You just give up and accept that you're soaked.

Aguardiente, a strong spirit typical of Venezuela and Central America. It can also refer to any hard liquor you drink to celebrate or warm up.

To make a fool of oneself in public by saying or doing something inappropriate, wrong, or clumsy, resulting in visible embarrassment. It is one of the most universal and unavoidable experiences of human social life.

In Colombia, a problem, complication, or messy situation someone gets tangled up in. Estar en un embale means being stuck in something difficult to get out of.

In Colombia, being stuck in a serious mess or tough situation that is hard to get out of. If you are embalado, you have got a real problem weighing you down.

To cost a massive amount of effort, struggle, or sacrifice to achieve. Similar to "it cost me an arm and a leg" but focused on effort rather than money. Used across much of Latin America and Spain when something was brutally hard to pull off.

A rapid bus system with a dedicated lane that works like a subway but on wheels. In Mexico City, Bogotá, and Buenos Aires, the metrobús is the most efficient and affordable mass transit option.

In Colombia, an attention-grabbing attitude, pose, or show someone puts on to impress others or appear a certain way. Hacer visaje is to overdramatize your gestures and presence to get noticed.

Someone who puts on a show, strikes exaggerated poses, or shows off to get attention in Colombia. A visajoso is always performing and making sure everyone notices them.

In Colombia, something or someone old, worn out, in bad shape, or of very low quality. When something is "hecho una garra" it's finished or barely functional.

In Colombian student slang, the word for a teacher or professor. Calling a teacher "cucho" is casual and common among students, not disrespectful.

In Latin American street slang, to quietly investigate someone, to observe and assess before making any move. Also means to figure out someone's true intentions without them realizing.