70+ Puerto Rican Slang Words to Help You Sound Boricua

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Speak like a true Puerto Rican with these local slang terms

Co-authored by Bertha Isabel Crombet, PhD

Last Updated: October 29, 2025 Fact Checked

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Common

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Funny

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Terms of Endearment

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Insults

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What makes Puerto Rican slang unique?

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Video

Puerto Rican sayings and expressions are often as colorful and lively as the people themselves. Many popular slang terms have emerged from this famed Island of Enchantment, including the iconic “boriqua,” meaning “native Puerto Rican.” Whether you’re dating a Puerto Rican hottie, have Puerto Rican friends to impress, or you simply want to add a few new slang words to your international archive, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for a comprehensive list of Puerto Rican slang—bendito!

Puerto Rican Slang Examples

Broki: Buddy.
Pichea: To forget or dismiss something.
Bichote/bichota: An important person.
Chorro: A lot of something.
Gufear: To act goofy.
Janguear: To “hang out.”
Ligón: A peeping Tom.

Section 1 of 5:

Common Slang Words in Puerto Rico

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Use these popular slang words in daily conversation. If you want to sound like an island local, pepper in some of these Spanish slang terms into your conversations with friends and family. They range from everyday expressions to unique adjectives, adding a pop of color to every sentence. Here are some common Puerto Rican slang words and what they mean:^{[1]
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- Abombao / abombá: Describing food as rotten.
- Al garete: Doing something reckless or wild.
- Asicalao: Immaculately clean.
- Babilla: Bravery or nerve.
- Bembé: A big party.
- Bendito: A common expression with lots of uses, including “Oh my God,” to “Bless you,” or “Aw, poor you!”
- Birras: Beer.
- Boricua: A native Puerto Rican person.
- Bregar: To do something with effort and drive.
- Bregarle Chicky Starr: To play dirty with someone, either sexually or when it comes to conflict.
- Broki: Buddy.
- Chacho: Short for “muchacho,” meaning “guy” or “man.”
- Chavo: Money.
- Corillo: A group or crew of friends.
- Dura: Literally translates to “hard;” describing someone good at what they do.
- Guajana: The flower part of the sugarcane.
- Guinda: A steep hill or slope.
- Jartera: To be full after eating a lot.
- Jíbaro: A person from the country.
- Ligar: To peep and be nosey.
- Limber/limbel: A home-made frozen treat made from fruit or milk.
- Mamey: Something that is easy to do.
- Mano: Short for “hermano.”
- Pana: Friend.
- Pichea: To forget or dismiss something.
- Tapón: Traffic jam.
- Tirar: Multiple meanings, including “to hit on,” “to diss,” or “to throw.”

Section 2 of 5:

Funny Slang Words in Puerto Rico

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Make your amigos laugh with these silly slang words. Puerto Ricans are well known for their sense of humor when it comes to inventing expressions. They draw from the history and culture of the island itself to come up with the kind of silly-sounding words you didn’t realize even existed. Some of them sound funny rolling off the tongue, while others simply have funny meanings. Here are some examples:^{[2]
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- A mi, plín: Literally translates to, “To me, nothing,” meaning, “I don’t care.”
- Bichote/bichota: An important person.
- Bochinche: Petty gossip.
- Comiendo un cable: Literally translates to “eating a cable,” meaning “I’m bored.”
- Chorro: A lot of something.
- Escañiña de mono: Literally translates to “monkey poop” and is used to describe a problematic or chaotic situation.
- Guagua: A bus or any form of public transportation.
- Gufear: To act goofy.
- Gufiao: “Cool” or “awesome.”
- Janguear: To “hang out.”
- Jumeta: To be drunk.
- Mangó bajito: Literally translates to “low hanging mango” and is used to describe a situation in which someone is getting taken advantage of.
- Pa’ lante: To go forward or ahead.
- Pasárselas con la cuchara ancha: Literally translates to “pass over with a wide spoon,” meaning to get away with something.
- ¿Qué es lo que?: Literally translates to “what is the what,” meaning, “What’s up?”
- Revolú: Used to describe a chaotic situation.
- Servirse con la cuchara grande: Literally translates to “to serve oneself with a wide spoon,” meaning to get away with murder.
- Tíguere: A person with street smarts.
- Tirar la casa por la ventana: Literally translates to “to throw the house out the window,” meaning to throw a huge party.
- Tumbao: Describing a particularly catchy rhythm in music.
- Wao: “Wow!”
- Wepa: An expression of excitement or celebration.

Section 3 of 5:

Dating Slang Words in Puerto Rico

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Dial up the romance with these terms of endearment. If you’re looking to seduce a Puerto Rican hottie, using words in their mother tongue can certainly help you out. Teasing and terms of endearment are a huge part of Puerto Rican and Latin American culture as a whole, especially when it comes to those you love the most. That’s right—the more affection there is, the kookier the adjectives people use to describe one another! Here are some slang words to help you spice up your love language:^{[3]
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- Bebe: Literally translates to “baby.”
- Cangri: A hottie or an influential person.
- Chévere: Meaning “cool” or “awesome;” can be used to describe a person.
- Chulería/chula/chulo: Used to describe something or someone as good or attractive.
- Corazon de melon: Literally translates to “melon heart,” meaning “sweetheart.”
- Jevo/jeva: Boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Mami/papi: Literally translates to “mommy” and “daddy,” which are used as terms of endearment in romantic relationships.
- Negrito/negrita: Literally translates to “little black one,” but is used affectionately among Puerto Ricans regardless of skin color, race, etc.
- Nene/ nena: Literally translates to “little boy/little girl,” but may be used like “baby” or “babe.”
- Pégate: Literally translates to “get close” and is used as an invitation for someone to join a person or group.
- Perreo/ perrear: A style of dancing that involves a lot of grinding.
- Por encima de los gandules: Literally translates to “above the beans” and is used to express admiration.

Section 4 of 5:

Slang Insults in Puerto Rico

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Call someone a name they’ve never heard before using these insults. Puerto Ricans are nothing if not creative, and their manner of insulting each other is top-tier. If you’ve grown tired of calling a frenemy the same old names in English, like “jerk” or “meanie,” take a look at the following list for some inspiration. Even if they don’t understand what you’re saying, they’ll at least be confused, which is still a win. Here are some slang terms to knock someone down a peg:^{[4]
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- Bobo: A dim-wit or dummy.
- Burro: A donkey, meaning “stupid.”
- Cafre: A lowlife.
- Cariduro: Literally translates to “having a hard face” and is used to describe a person who has no shame or is very stubborn.
- Embustería: A pack of lies.
- ¡Fo!: A reaction expressing “eww" or "yuck!"
- Fregao/ fregá: A shameless person.
- Lambeojo: A brown-noser or suck-up.
- Ligón: A peeping Tom.
- Matraca: Describes someone who talks a lot without saying much.
- Nebuloso: Literally translates to “cloudy” and describes someone who is “untrustworthy.”
- Pesado: Literally translates to “heavy” and describes someone unpleasant to be around.
- Quillao: Describes someone who is angry or annoyed.
- Soplapote: A nobody or a loser.
- Tráfala: A lowlife.
- Tonto: A dummy.

Section 5 of 5:

What makes Puerto Rican slang unique?

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Puerto Rican slang draws from Taíno, African, European, and American cultures. Puerto Rican slang is truly unique due to its blend of influences. The Taíno are the indigenous people of Puerto Rico, who have been living there for an estimated 1,500 years. When the Spanish arrived on the island in the 16th century, they brought their language with them, adding to the melting pot of cultures and dialects. The Transatlantic Slave Trade also forcibly brought many West Africans to Puerto Rico, allowing their cultures and languages to intermingle.^{[5]
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- Puerto Rico’s close connection to the United States threw an additional wrench in the mix, as English words were introduced into the culture.
  - For example, “janguear” meaning to “hang out” comes directly from the English phrase “hanging out.”
  - “Gufear,” meaning to “act goofy,” comes from the English word “goofy.”
- A lot of common Puerto Rican words like “maíz” (“corn”) and “tibúron” (“shark”) come from the Taíno language as well.