In Colombia, a kid or young person who still lacks experience or maturity. Can be said with genuine affection or as a gentle dig at someone who acts younger than their age in a situation that calls for more seriousness.

A trend opposite to influencer marketing where creators tell you which viral products are NOT worth buying. A reaction against the non-stop sponsored content on social media. Used across Spanish-speaking internet communities.

A cheap product that closely imitates an expensive brand-name one, sought out and shared as a find on social media. From English "duplicate," now a standard term across Spanish-speaking internet culture.

Spending hours or an entire day lying in bed doing nothing productive as a deliberate act of rest or self-care. A viral trend that reclaims doing absolutely nothing as valid downtime.

When a program or system unexpectedly closes and stops working without warning. It's the Spanish verb form of the English word "crash," adapted with the "-ear" ending that Spanish speakers love to use when adopting tech terms. The digital nightmare that erases your unsaved work without mercy.

A beauty trend aiming for skin so smooth, hydrated, and luminous it looks like glass, popularized by Korean skincare routines. One of the most viral facial care aesthetics in recent years.

A skincare technique that involves sealing the skin with a thick layer of petroleum jelly or another occlusive product at night to lock in moisture. A widely popular facial care trend across Spanish-speaking countries.

A Latin music genre born in Puerto Rico that conquered the entire planet and changed the music industry forever. Perreo, dembow beats, and lyrics your mom doesn't approve of but everybody dances to.

An informal Colombian and Venezuelan greeting that comes from the contraction of '¿Qué hubo?' (what happened). It's the quick, casual, street-level way to greet someone you're comfortable with.

To be stood up, left waiting for someone who never shows without any warning. In Venezuela, being 'planchado' is one of the worst experiences: you're there, waiting, and the other person just never appears.

To download files, apps, or content from the internet to your device in Latin America. Downloading from the cloud is the everyday act of grabbing music, movies, or apps that fill your storage until nothing else fits.

To find creative ways to get money or solve a difficult situation with what you have. This is a hallmark of Latin American resourcefulness.

The endless loop of scrolling through bad news, disasters, and depressing content even though it makes you feel worse with every post. Doomscrolling is the digital-age habit that keeps you glued to your phone at midnight reading about everything going wrong in the world, knowing you should stop but unable to.

Secretly, on the down low, or with low intensity, when you want to admit something without making it public. It's the same English word "lowkey" adopted into Spanish slang by Gen Z across Latin America and Spain, used exactly the same way as in English internet culture.

An extremely wild, provocative, no-holds-barred reggaeton dance session. It's the maximum level of perreo where everyone lets loose to the beat.

An eraser used to remove pencil marks, in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The word also means a draft or preliminary version of a text, two very different meanings sharing the same word.

Someone who oozes confidence with a slightly cocky edge, or a person who dances with incredible flavor and rhythm. It can be a compliment about someone's swagger or a dig at someone acting full of themselves.

People or traditions from previous generations who resist change and are often opposed to innovation.

A nosy person who gets into everything that's none of their business and always wants to know what everyone else is doing. The metiche can't help it: if there's gossip, they're there; if there's someone else's problem, they're there too.

Disrespect, rudeness, or bad behavior, especially from children or young people toward their elders. It's the Central American way of calling out someone who was raised without manners.

The activity of spreading gossip, rumors, and other people's secrets nonstop and without any guilt. Chismorreo is the favorite sport of every office, WhatsApp group, and family gathering without exception.

The response time of your internet connection, measured in milliseconds and critical for online gaming. The lower the number the better: anything under 50ms is smooth, once it climbs past 100 you start feeling every delay and losing fights you should have won.

A stomach ailment caused by overeating, bad digestion, or eating something that didn't sit right. In Latin American folk medicine, empacho is treated with traditional massages and herbal remedies.

An apartment or flat inside a building in Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean. It's the same thing as 'departamento' in Mexico, different word, same concept of vertical living.

To generate massive hype and excitement around something, often more than it actually deserves. When marketing or social media inflate something so much that reality can never compete.

To feel so embarrassed you genuinely wish you could disappear from the planet at that exact moment. Used across the Spanish-speaking world to describe the peak of social embarrassment, when you do not know where to look or what to do with yourself.

A girl's fifteenth birthday celebration that marks her symbolic transition from childhood to womanhood, a big deal across Mexico and much of Latin America. Think a waltz with chambelanes (escorts), a princess gown, months of planning, and a party that rivals a wedding.

To mop the floor with a wet cloth or mop in Mexico, the mandatory step that follows sweeping. To leave the floor shiny like a mirror so your mom doesn't scold you.

Testicle. This word spawns dozens of expressions: 'tener huevos' (to be brave), 'huevón' (lazy or dumb), 'a huevo' (hell yeah/mandatory). It's the foundation of vulgar Spanish vocabulary.

Something boring, tedious, or that you really can't be bothered to do or listen to. Also a latoso person who's annoying, insistent, and won't stop bugging you or talking when nobody asked.