Funny Spanish words

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, August 21, 2025

Would you like to enrich your Spanish vocabulary with words that are funny to pronounce or have curious meanings? In this article, you will discover a selection of Spanish words and expressions that stand out for their humor, strangeness, or unique origin.

Learning Spanish in Spain is an amazing experience, and Enforex will show you the way to succeed and learn a wide range of interesting vocabulary.

List of funny words in Spanish

Below, we present 50 funny words in Spanish that will help you expand your vocabulary, learn new expressions, and explore those that don't have an exact translation into English. And if you've never heard them before, don't worry we've also included their definitions so you can understand them easily.

Baratija. An object of little value or quality. For example: Compró una baratija en el mercado pensando que era una joya auténtica (He bought a trinket at the market thinking it was real jewelry).

Barrigón. Said of a person or animal with a large belly. For example: El gato está barrigón, ya no salta como antes (The cat is potbellied; he doesn't jump like he used to).

Botarate. Said of a foolish or crazy person who wastes money or resources. For example: Ese botarate se gastó todo el dinero en fuegos artificiales (That idiot spent all his money on fireworks).

Cachiporra. A short club is used as a weapon, although it can also be a toy. For example: El guardia llevaba una cachiporra colgando del cinturón (The guard had a bludgeon hanging from his belt).

Cachivache. Said of a useless or broken object. It can also be a piece of junk or something useless. For example: Tira ese cachivache, ya no sirve para nada (Throw that junk away, it's useless).

Carcaj. The name given to the bag or case where arrows are kept is called a carcaj. For example: El arquero colgó el carcaj sobre su hombro (The archer hung the quiver over his shoulder).

Cascajo. Remains of stones, bricks, or broken materials. For example: El camino estaba lleno de cascajos tras la obra (The road was full of rubble after the construction work).

Cazafantasmas. Said of a person who claims to hunt ghosts (literally or jokingly). For example: Desde que vio una sombra en casa, se cree un cazafantasmas (Since he saw a shadow in the house, he thought he was a ghostbuster).

Chancleta. Another name for sandals, usually worn at the beach, the pool, or around the house. For example: Salió a la compra en chancletas y pijama (He went out shopping in flip-flops and pajamas).

Chiquiliquatre. Said of a person, often young, who is arrogant and lacks common sense or seriousness. This word has no translation into English; depending on the context, you can use fussy, dandy, pretentious... For example: No seas chiquiliquatre y ponte una camiseta cómoda para la caminata (Don't be fussy and put on a comfortable T-shirt for the walk).

Chiripitifláutico. Although it is a made-up word, it is used to describe something extraordinary, unusual, or funny. This word has no translation into English. For example: Fue un día chiripitifláutico lleno de sorpresas (It was a fantabulous day full of surprises).

Chirimbolo. A small object of uncertain or decorative use. For example: ¿Para qué sirve ese chirimbolo que tienes en el armario? (What is that thingamajig in your closet for?)

Chisguete. A small or thin stream of liquid that comes out violently. It can also mean a sip or small amount of wine that is drunk. For example:

• Se pasó con el chisguete de limón al pescado (He overdid it with the lemon squirt/spritz on the fish)
• Bebió un chisguete de vino antes de la presentación (He drank a little wine before the presentation)

Chocarrero. A joker who can sometimes be rude. For example: Ese chocarrero siempre hace chistes fuera de lugar (That person is vulgar always makes inappropriate jokes).

Cuchufleta. Joke or prank, light deception. For example: No te lo creas, es una cuchufleta (Don't believe it, it's a funny saying/expression).

Chupipandi. A colloquial and youthful way of referring to a group of inseparable friends. For example: La chupipandi se junta todos los viernes a comer pizza (The group get together every Friday to eat pizza).

Cocoliche. Hybrid slang spoken by Italians mixing their language with Spanish. It can be described as a strange mixture of languages or styles of speech. For example: El actor hizo un personaje con acento cocoliche para darle un toque cómico a la obra (The actor played a character with an Italian Spanish hybrid slang accent to give the play a comical touch).

Cuchicuchi. An affectionate word or expression used to refer to a person or animal in a tender or flirtatious way. This word has no translation into English. For example: Cuchicuchi, vamos a ver una película juntos (Honey, let’s watch a movie together).

Farfullar. To speak in a confused or hurried manner. For example: Farfulló una excusa y salió corriendo (He mumbled an excuse and ran away).

Fofisano. Said of a person who looks plump but is in good health.For example: Se declara fofisano y orgulloso (He declares himself dad bod/soft but fit and proud).

Fuñicar. To do something clumsily and awkwardly. This word has no translation in English. For example: Deja de fuñicar en mis cosas (Stop pester/annoy with my things).

Gamusino. Said of an imaginary animal invented for practical jokes. For example: Les dijeron que salieran a cazar gamusinos de noche (They told them to go out hunting unicorns at night).

Gurruño. A ball made of something soft and crumpled. For example: Hizo un gurruño con la carta y la tiró (He crumpled up the letter and threw it away).

Guachinche. This word is used mainly in the Canary Islands to refer to a small family bar or restaurant. For example: Comimos pescado fresco en un guachinche cerca de la playa (We ate fresh fish at a guachinche near the beach).

Guanchinche. Not to be confused with the previous work, which is spelled very similarly. Guanchinche means to be on top of someone, to sit, to ride, or to mount. For example: Cruzó el río levando al niño a guanchinche (He crossed the river carrying the child on his shoulders).

Mameluco. This has two meanings: a one-piece jumpsuit or garment; or also said of a clumsy person. For example: Ese mameluco rompió el florero sin querer (That clumsy guy broke the vase without meaning to).

Mondongo. This refers to the intestines or offal, especially of beef and pork, used for cooking. It is also used to refer to human intestines. For example: El guiso de mondongo estaba delicioso (The mondongo stew was delicious).

Mofletudo. Said of a person who has large cheeks. For example: El bebé es bien mofletudo y sonríe todo el tiempo (The baby has big cheeks and smiles all the time).

Morciguillo. Said of a small bat. For example: Un morciguillo entró volando a la cocina (A small bat flew into the kitchen).

Ñangotarse. In Puerto Rico, it means to crouch down or humiliate oneself and submit. For example: Se ñangotó para amarrarse los zapatos (He is crouching down to tie his shoes).

Ñeque. Mainly used in Latin American countries, it means strong, vigorous, powerful, and energetic. For example: Hay que ponerle ñeque para ganar (You must put in the effort to win).

Ñoño/Ñoñerías. Said of a boring thing or person, lacking in substance, extremely timid, and short-witted. For example: El niño es un ñoño, no quiere estar con nadie (The boy is nerd; he doesn't want to be with anyone).

Pachanga. This word has several meanings, making it polysemic. It can be a dance from Cuba, an informal soccer game or other sports, and a popular or family party, where there is usually music and dancing. For example: Organizamos una pachanga en la terraza (We organized a game on the terrace).

Papanatas. Said of a naive or foolish person. For example: Ese papanatas creyó que era un billete de lotería ganador (That twerp/simpleton believed it was a winning lottery ticket).

Patatús. Colloquially and informally, a patatús is a fainting spell or nervous breakdown. For example: Casi me da un patatús al ver la factura (I almost had a heart attack when I saw the bill).

Pelafustán. Said of a despicable or insignificant person. For example: Ese pelafustán no merece tu atención (That good-for-nothing doesn't deserve your attention).

Perendengue. A small, eye-catching ornament. For example: La blusa tiene unos perendengues dorados muy bonitos (The blouse has some very pretty gold cheap pendants).

Pimpollo. Said of a young, attractive person. It can also refer to a new tree or roses about to bloom. For example: Ese muchacho es un pimpollo (That boy is a attractive young person/hunk).

Piripitiflauta. This is a humorous variant of chiripitifláutico. For example: Tu plan suena piripitiflautico, pero me apunto (Your plan sounds crazy, but I'm in).

Pitutear. Said of a person. Hacer pitutos also refers to odd jobs in Chile. For example: Este fin de semana voy a pitutear en un evento para ganar un dinero extra (This weekend I'm going to do odd jobs at an event to earn some extra money).

Requetebien. A word used to emphasize that something has gone very well. For example: El examen me salió requetebien (The exam went really well).

Sacamuelas. A colloquial and somewhat derogatory word for a dentist. For example: El sacamuelas del pueblo me quitó la muela sin anestesia (The village tooth puller pulled my tooth without anesthesia).

Soponcio. Fainting or strong shock upon receiving news. For example: Le dio un soponcio al escuchar la noticia (He fainted when he heard the news).

Tiquismiquis. Said of a very demanding or fussy person. For example: No seas tiquismiquis y prueba la comida (Don't be so fussy and try the food).

Tontolaba. Said of a silly or naive person. For example: Ese tontolaba dejó la puerta abierta (That complete fool left the door open).

Tráfago. A series of tasks or activities that cause a lot of fatigue or annoyance. For example: El jefe estaba desbordado por el tráfago de su puesto (The boss was overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of his job).

Tragaldabas. Said of a person who eats a lot and eagerly. For example: Ese tragaldabas se comió tres hamburguesas seguidas (That glutton ate three hamburgers).

Trotamundos. Said of a person who travels a lot around the world. For example: Es un trotamundos, ha visitado 40 países en pocos años (He's a globetrotter; he's visited 40 countries in just a few years).

Zambomba. A traditional percussion instrument used mainly at Christmas. For example: Tocamos la zambomba durante la cena de Navidad (We play the hand drum during Christmas dinner).

Zangandungo. Said of a person who is clumsy, awkward, or lazy. For example: No entrega nunca los trabajos en la fecha, es un zangandungo (He never hands in his work on time; he'sso lazy).

Zascandil. Said of a restless and meddlesome person. For example: Ese zascandil no para de meterse en problemas (That loafer never stops getting into trouble).

These are just some of the funny words we like best at Enforex. What's your favorite funny Spanish word? Tell us!

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