To show off or pretend to be something you're not, to fake a lifestyle or status that isn't really yours. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic it's putting on a front for others.

To have fun, joke around, or playfully tease someone in the Caribbean and Central America. It's that game among friends where jokes fly back and forth and nobody takes it personally.

A Puerto Rican verb meaning to have a good time, goof around, relax, or have fun without ceremony. Comes from English "goof" with a Spanish ending. "Estamos gufeando en la playa" means we're chilling on the beach without much of a plan. Used among friends in casual contexts, describing that energy of enjoying the moment without pressure. A quintessential Boricua word, though also heard among Dominicans.

In the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic), an annoying, clingy person who won't leave even when unwanted. A pegao doesn't read the hints and sticks around no matter how many cold shoulders they get.

The act of faking or showing off things you don't actually have in order to impress in Puerto Rico. Fronteo is pure facade, selling an image that doesn't match reality.

A toxic person who damages others through words or actions while keeping a friendly face. Literally "venomous," the effect is exactly that: slow-acting, subtle damage. The venenoso smiles while spreading rumors, stirs up trouble, then plays innocent.

To blurt everything out at once in Puerto Rico, speaking rapidly without a filter and without stopping. Someone who "espepita" dumps all the information before anyone even asks.

A summer season focused entirely on enjoying yourself, glowing up, and living drama-free. Born from Megan Thee Stallion's 2019 anthem, a cultural movement about confidence, freedom, and unapologetic fun.

A Peruvian, Venezuelan, and Caribbean verb meaning to eat with gusto, devour a good meal. "Vamos a jamear" means let's go eat seriously. Comes from "jama" (food) turned into a verb. Used without ceremony, casually: when someone proposes jamear, it's understood as a full meal with pleasure, not a snack. A word that survives across several generations of Peruvians and Caribbeans.

An extremely attractive person, someone with a great physique. In Colombia and Venezuela, a 'cuero' is the ideal of physical beauty, they possess a magnetic, almost irresistible charm.

A big talker, someone who brags and exaggerates their stories beyond all recognition. In Venezuela a jablador is all talk, their mouth writes checks their life can't cash.

To do a job sloppily, incompetently, or without the skill needed to do it right. In Mexico and Central America, chambonear is the verb for the clumsy execution that produces work everyone has to fix afterwards.

A home run in baseball, the most exciting hit in the game, when the ball sails out of the park and the batter rounds all the bases in pure celebration. It's the adapted Spanish spelling used across Latin America's baseball-loving nations.

A hard hit, a heavy blow, or a solid impact that really hurts. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, it's the standard word for getting smacked hard.

To blackmail someone, manipulating them by threatening to reveal damaging information unless they comply. Chantajear goes beyond ordinary pressure; it's calculated leverage, the dark art of weaponizing someone's secrets against them.

The vibe of provocative, sensual dancing that defines reggaeton nightlife, especially in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It's that whole atmosphere where the music takes over, people dance close and uninhibited, and the perreo goes all night. Think of it as the noun for the entire party mood, not just one dance.

To dance with intense sensuality and zero inhibitions, typically to reggaeton or urban music. Born in Puerto Rico and now part of Latin culture worldwide, perrear intenso is the defining dance style of the genre: close, rhythmic, and completely unapologetic.

Flashy jewelry, chains, and shiny accessories that display wealth and status in Caribbean urban culture. Bling bling is the ostentatious luxury of reggaeton and dembow.

In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, to extract money or gifts from someone by exploiting a flirtatious or romantic relationship. The action of the chapiadora, a figure immortalized in dembow music.

In the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic), deeply in love or infatuated with someone. The person who is "enchulao" sees no flaws and is completely focused on that one person.

A small neighborhood shop in Venezuela and the Caribbean where you find basic products and a bit of everything. It's more than a store, it's the neighborhood meeting point where you catch up on local news.

In Puerto Rico, the daily hustle of finding money by any honest means possible. The "joseo" is a mindset of not sitting around waiting for things to happen.

In Caribbean reggaeton slang (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic), an affectionate and sensual term for a young attractive woman. A soft compliment used in song lyrics and on the street.

An affectionate way to address a close friend in Mexico, short for 'hermano' (brother). It's the casual, warm greeting you use with your inner circle.

A large, thick fruit that's cooked fried, roasted, in mole, or in slices across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. It's not a banana: plátano is for cooking, banana is for eating raw, and that difference is sacred.

A woman who is single and loving it, free from commitments and answering to no one. In Caribbean Spanish and reggaeton culture, it's used proudly to celebrate independence and uninhibited attitude.

A strong enthusiastic yes, Venezuelan and Caribbean expression for total agreement and excitement. Beyond just 'okay', chévere que sí is an expression of genuine enthusiasm: I'm in, I love it, absolutely let's do it.

In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, something or someone that is absolutely top-tier, powerful, and impressive. If something is cañona, there is no higher compliment you can give it.

A Puerto Rican and Caribbean affectionate way to say kid, little boy, or any young male. "Mi nene" means my son (regardless of age), "los nenes" means the kids of the house. Also used between couples as a romantic nickname. In Puerto Rico the word is so standard that adult men remain "nenes" to their moms well into their fifties.

A rap or reggaeton diss track where an artist directly attacks another with aggressive, personal bars. Tiraeras generate millions of views and split the audience.