70+ Puerto Rican Slang Words to Help You Sound Boricua

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Bilingual content creator Jose Rivera helps you sound like a true Puerto Rican with these slang terms

Co-authored by Jose Rivera and Bertha Isabel Crombet, PhD

Last Updated: November 14, 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
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• Expert Q&A

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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, with insights from bilingual content creator Jose Rivera—bendito!

Puerto Rican Slang Examples

According to bilingual content creator Jose Rivera, popular Puerto Rican slang includes “Ay bendito!” (“oh my god!”), “pichea” (“forget it” or “ignore that”), and “gufear” (“to joke around or act silly.”) Here are some other fun slang words and phrases to learn:

• Chulería — Something beautiful, funny, or charming.
• Janguear — To hang out or chill.
• Corillo — Your group of friends or “squad.”
• Mamey — Something easy or effortless.
• Pana — Friend or buddy.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

Common Slang Words in Puerto Rico

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1. 
   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:

   • Abombao / abombá: Describing food as rotten.
   • Al garete: Doing something reckless or wild.
   • Asicalao: Immaculately clean.
   • Ay bendito: A common expression with lots of uses, including “Oh my God” or “poor thing” (equal parts sympathy and sass).
   • Babilla: Bravery or nerve.
   • Bembé: A big party.
   • 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: Your group of friends or “squad.”
   • Dura / Duro: Someone who’s excellent at what they do (think “GOAT”).
   • 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 easy or effortless.
   • Mano: Short for “hermano.”
   • Pana: Friend or buddy.
   • Pichea: Forget it or ignore that.
   • Tapón: Traffic jam.
   • Tirar: Multiple meanings, including “to hit on,” “to diss,” or “to throw.”

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Jose Rivera, also known as Ricky Flicks, is a social media strategist and bilingual content creator with over 5 years of experience. He specializes in creating content that blends culture, comedy, and commentary.
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Section 2 of 5:

Funny Slang Words in Puerto Rico

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1. 
   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:

   • 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 joke around or act silly.
   • 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!: The universal Puerto Rican exclamation for excitement—used at birthdays, parties, or whenever vibes are immaculate.

Section 3 of 5:

Dating Slang Words in Puerto Rico

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1. 
   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:

   • 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: Something beautiful, funny, or charming.
   • 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.
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Section 4 of 5:

Slang Insults in Puerto Rico

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1. 
   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:

   • 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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1. Puerto Rican slang is a melting pot of several different cultures. Rivera says, “Puerto Rican Spanish, affectionately called Boricua, is full of rhythm, humor, and invention. It’s a living language shaped by African, Taíno, and Spanish roots, with a dash of English flavor.” Rivera continues, “Puerto Rican slang is both playful and poetic, an ever-evolving language of community, humor, and pride that turns even the simplest conversation into rhythm and color.”

   • 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.
   • 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.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  Is Cabron a Puerto Rican slang?

  

  Carlos Valverde Ochando
  English and Spanish Teacher

  Carlos Valverde Ochando is a English and Spanish teacher and content creator based in Granada, Spain. With over 12 years of experience, Carlos currently works as a high school teacher in Spain after recently returning from a Dual language exchange program in the US. He also creates content focused on making Spanish more accessible and authentic for learners, with an emphasis on slang, accents and regional expressions across various Spanish-speaking regions. He is especially well-versed in Spain Spanish, Argentinian Spanish, and Mexican Spanish. Carlos has a degree in English Studies from the University of Granada and a Master’s in Secondary Education Teacher Training.

  

  Carlos Valverde Ochando

  English and Spanish Teacher

  Expert Answer

  In Puerto Rico, it can mean that something is badass, like if you say “está cabrón,” it means “that’s awesome” or “that’s really cool.” It can also be used like “dude” or “bro,” but only among people you’re familiar with. For example, “Qué pasa, cabrón?” would be like saying “What’s up, dude?” Another one is “brutal.” In Puerto Rico, just like in Spain, it means something amazing or incredible. You can say “está brutal” to mean “that’s awesome.” And then there’s “Diablo,” which you’ll hear a lot too. It’s used as an exclamation, kind of like “no way,” “damn,” or “wow.” So if you hear someone say “¡Diablo!” it's usually out of surprise.

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