‘Simpa’, ‘turismofobia’ and ‘crudivorismo’ are just some of the new words out of 330 added to the 2026 version of Spain’s most official dictionary.
Every year the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) chooses new words to include in the Dictionary of the Spanish Language (DLE), depending on their use and popularity during the previous year.
In the new preview, which has just been released, a total of around 330 new words or phrases have been added.
These new entries reflect “the small revolution in words brought about by the irruption of technology. This has an enormous effect on language, and it is something that doesn’t happen very often,” explained Elena Zamora, head of the Institute of Lexicography, and Santiago Muñoz Machado, director of the RAE and president of the Association of Spanish Language Academies (ASALE).
Here are some of the most interesting or most used Spanish words that are set to be included in the 24th edition of Spain’s most official dictionary.
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New words to do with technology
It seems that most of the new words that have to do with technology, computers and the internet in Spanish are actually borrowed from English, so it’s likely you’ll already be familiar with most of them.
These anglicisms include gif, hashtag, mailing, streaming, smartphone, and crowdfunding, among others.
Another one party borrowed from English is loguearse, which means to log-in.
Media and the arts
Other words to do with the media and the arts, such as film include:
Fotonoticia – News in pictures
Microteatro – Micro-theatre, which refers to small, short theatrical productions
Alfombra roja – Red carpet
Directo – While this word already exists, a new meaning has been added in the latest version, which means live in English – when to a radio, television, or online broadcast when is transmitted at the same time as it’s happening. It also refers to the word used in boxing to mean a punch delivered by projecting the fist forward in a straight line.
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Science
When it comes to the worlds of physics, chemistry and biology, several new words have been added there too. These include:
Gravitón – This is the same word in English and it refers to the hypothetical particle, predicted by quantum physics, which carries the force of gravity.
Termoquímico – Thermochemical or the study of heat energy in chemical reactions.
Cuperosis – Rosacea, which is a common skin condition is characterised by the appearance of redness on the skin due to the dilation of small blood vessels.
Narcoléptico – Narcoleptic, which refers to a person suffering from narcolepsy, which causes people to fall asleep suddenly during the day.
Ovulatorio – Refers to women’s ovulation cycles
Eco – A colloquial term for an ultrasound
Colloquial expressions
Brutal – Aside from having the same meaning as in English to describe something that’s savage or harsh, the other meaning of brutal in Spanish – a colloquial way of calling something ‘awesome’ – has now been added to the Spanish dictionary.
Chapar – A colloquial equivalent of the verb ‘to close’ when referring to an establishment. For example, ‘El club chapa a las 2 de la madrugada‘ (The club closes at 2am in the morning).
Simpa – Hacer una simpa means to leave a restaurant or bar without paying, like dine and dash in English. It’s a well-known expression in Spanish.
Marcianada – Something that’s strange, extravagant, or absurd. It comes from the word Martian, as in something from the planet Mars.
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Compound words
Alfombra mágica – Magic carpet from stories and legends, which has the ability to fly and transport people quickly.
Foto de familia – Family photo. It can also be when a group photo is taken at an event, they don’t necessarily have to be family.
Juguete roto – Literally broken toy, but it means a person who, after achieving fame, loses popularity and becomes professionally and socially relegated.
Other new Spanish words that capture the zeitgeist
Turismofobia – Growing negative attitudes and resistance from residents towards tourists and the tourism industry.
Eurofobia – A phobia of European things, and especially to things related to the European Union.
Crudivorismo – A diet based on eating raw and non-processed foods.
