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Spanish Technology Vocabulary: Complete Tech and the Internet Terms Guide

Last updated: March 14, 2026

Technology and computing vocabulary in Spanish - Banner

Learning Spanish in 2026 means you need more than just food and travel vocabulary. You need to know how to talk about computers, apps, social media, and all the digital stuff that fills our daily lives. Whether you're working with Spanish-speaking colleagues, traveling, or just trying to understand tech tutorials in Spanish, having solid Spanish technology vocabulary makes everything easier. This guide breaks down the essential tech terms you actually need, from basic hardware to internet slang.

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Essential computer hardware vocabulary in Spanish

Let's start with the physical stuff. Computer hardware terms in Spanish are pretty straightforward once you learn the basics.

  • The computer itself is "la computadora" in most Latin American countries or "el ordenador" in Spain.
  • Your screen is "la pantalla," and the keyboard is "el teclado."
  • The mouse? That's "el ratón" or sometimes "el mouse" (Yes, they borrowed the English word in many places).

Here are more hardware terms you'll use all the time:

Spanish

English

el disco duro
Hard drive
el procesador
Processor
la memoria
Memory / RAM
la memoria USB / el pendrive
USB drive
la impresora
Printer
el escáner
Scanner
la cámara web
Webcam
los auriculares / los audífonos
Headphones
el altavoz / la bocina
Speaker
el micrófono
Microphone
el cable
Cable
el cargador
Charger
la batería / la pila
Battery

Electronic devices beyond computers also have their own vocab.

Spanish

English

el teléfono inteligente / el smartphone
Smartphone
la tableta / la tablet
Tablet
la computadora portátil / el portátil
Laptop
el botón de encendido
Power button
los puertos
Ports
Bluetooth
Bluetooth (pronounced with a Spanish accent)
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Software and digital interface terms

Software vocabulary in Spanish gets interesting because some terms are direct translations while others are borrowed English words that Spanish speakers just adopted.

  • Software itself is "el software" (same word).
  • An app or application is "la aplicación" or more casually "la app."
  • A program is "el programa."

When you're navigating a computer interface, you need these terms:

Spanish

English

la ventana
Window
el icono
Icon
el menú
Menu
el archivo
File
la carpeta
Folder
el documento
Document
la barra de herramientas
Toolbar
el escritorio
Desktop
el navegador
Browser
la pestaña
Tab
el enlace / el link
Link
el botón
Button
la configuración / los ajustes
Settings
los sistemas operativos
Operating systems
Windows
Windows
macOS
macOS
Linux
Linux
la contraseña
Password
el nombre de usuario
Username
la verificación en dos pasos
Two-step verification
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Internet and networking Spanish vocabulary

Internet vocabulary in Spanish is super practical because you'll use it constantly.

  • The internet is simply "el internet" or "la internet" (both genders work, though "el" is more common in Latin America).
  • WiFi is "el wifi" (same spelling, Spanish pronunciation). When you want to connect to the internet, you'd say "conectarse a internet."
  • A network is "la red."

Here's the essential internet vocab:

Spanish

English

el sitio web / la página web
Website
la página de inicio
Homepage
el correo electrónico / el email
Email
la bandeja de entrada
Inbox
el spam / el correo basura
Spam
el archivo adjunto
Attachment
la descarga
Download
la subida / la carga
Upload
la conexión
Connection
el servidor
Server
la nube
Cloud
el ancho de banda
Bandwidth
el router / el enrutador
Router

When something's loading slowly, you might complain about "la conexión lenta." If your internet crashes, "se cayó el internet" is what you'd say (literally "the internet fell").

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Learn Spanish social media and app terminology

Social media vocabulary in Spanish is a mix of English borrowings and Spanish terms. The phrase "social media" itself becomes "las redes sociales" or "los medios sociales."

Most social media platform names stay the same (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok), but how you talk about using them changes. You don't "post" something, you "publicar" it. A post is "una publicación" or more casually "un post."

Here's the social media vocab you need:

Spanish

English

el perfil
Profile
el seguidor / la seguidora
Follower
seguir
To follow
dar me gusta / likear
To like (likear is informal)
el comentario
Comment
compartir
Share
la historia
Story
el mensaje directo / el DM
Direct message
la etiqueta / el hashtag
Hashtag
etiquetar
Tag
la solicitud de amistad
Friend request
la notificación
Notification
el feed / el muro
Feed
la transmisión en vivo / el directo
Live stream

Younger Spanish speakers especially mix English and Spanish when talking about social media. You'll hear things like "me tagueó en su story" (They tagged me in their story) pretty often.

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Verbs for tech actions in Spanish

Knowing the right verbs makes your Spanish technology vocabulary actually usable. You can't just know nouns, you need to know what to do with them.

Here are the essential tech verbs:

Spanish

English

encender / prender
To turn on
apagar
To turn off
reiniciar
To restart
instalar
To install
desinstalar
To uninstall
actualizar
To update
descargar
To download
cargar / subir
To upload
guardar
To save
borrar / eliminar
To delete
copiar
To copy
pegar
To paste
cortar
To cut
buscar
To search
hacer clic / cliquear
To click
desplazarse / hacer scroll
To scroll
escribir / teclear
To type
cargar
To charge
conectar
To connect
desconectar
To disconnect
iniciar sesión / entrar
To log in
cerrar sesión / salir
To log out
hacer una copia de seguridad / respaldar
To backup
colgarse / bloquearse
To crash

When your computer freezes, you'd say "se colgó la computadora" or "se trabó." If an app crashes, "la app se cerró" or "la app crasheó" (mixing English and Spanish).

These verbs combine with the hardware and software vocab to create full sentences. "Necesito actualizar el software" (I need to update the software) or "¿Puedes descargar el archivo?" (Can you download the file?).

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Regional variations you should know

Spanish technology vocabulary varies quite a bit depending on where you are. Spain uses different terms than Mexico, which uses different terms than Argentina.

  • The computer terminology splits pretty clearly: Spain says "ordenador" while basically all of Latin America says "computadora."
  • Spain also uses "ratón" for mouse more consistently, while Latin Americans often just say "mouse."
  • For "to type," Spaniards typically say "teclear" while many Latin Americans prefer "escribir" or "tipear."
  • The verb "to click" is "hacer clic" in formal Spanish, but you'll hear "cliquear" informally across Latin America.

Some regions have unique slang for tech problems. In Mexico, when something's broken, you might hear "está choteado" (It's busted). In Argentina, "está colgado" means frozen or crashed.

The word for "file" is generally "archivo," but in some contexts, especially with older speakers, you might hear "fichero" in Spain.

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Practical phrases for tech situations

Having individual words is great, but you need actual phrases to communicate about technology in Spanish. Here are some super useful ones:

  • ¿Cómo se reinicia?
    How do you restart it?
  • No funciona el wifi.
    The wifi doesn't work.
  • Se me olvidó la contraseña.
    I forgot my password.
  • ¿Tienes un cargador?
    Do you have a charger?
  • La batería se está agotando.
    The battery is dying.
  • Necesito más espacio de almacenamiento.
    I need more storage space.
  • ¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi?
    What's the wifi password?
  • No puedo conectarme.
    I can't connect.
  • Está muy lento.
    It's very slow.
  • Se trabó la pantalla.
    The screen froze.

These phrases come up in everyday situations constantly. Whether you're at a Spanish-speaking friend's house, working remotely from Mexico, or just troubleshooting tech issues, this vocab gets used.

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How to learn and remember these words

Reading lists is helpful, but you need strategies to actually remember Spanish technology vocabulary. Here's what works.

  1. Change your phone's default language to Spanish. Seriously, this is one of the fastest ways to master tech vocab. You'll see "configuración," "notificaciones," and "descargar" dozens of times per day. Your brain will absorb these terms through pure repetition in context.
  2. Use Spanish apps and software when possible. Set your computer's language to Spanish, or at least use Spanish versions of apps you already know well. When you understand the function, learning the Spanish term becomes way easier.
  3. Watch Spanish tech tutorials on YouTube. Search for things like "cómo instalar software" or "tutorial de computadora" and you'll find tons of content. Tech YouTubers use this vocabulary naturally and repeatedly.
  4. Practice describing what you're doing on your computer in Spanish. When you open a file, think "estoy abriendo un archivo." When you save something, "estoy guardando el documento." This internal narration builds fluency fast.
  5. Join Spanish-language tech forums or Discord servers. Reading how native speakers actually discuss technology shows you which terms are current and which are outdated.
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Common mistakes to avoid

Spanish learners make some predictable mistakes with tech vocabulary. Here's what to watch out for.

  1. Don't assume all English tech words transfer directly. While many do (like "email" or "wifi"), others have proper Spanish equivalents that sound more natural. Saying "el computer" instead of "la computadora" marks you as a beginner.
  2. Gender matters with tech terms. "El internet" and "la computadora" have specific genders. Mixing these up doesn't usually cause confusion, but it sounds off to native speakers.
  3. Watch out for false friends. "Actual" in Spanish means "current," not "actual." So "el software actual" means "the current software," not "the actual software."
  4. Don't over-formalize. While "hacer clic" is technically correct, many Spanish speakers just say "cliquear" in casual conversation. Sounding too formal can be just as awkward as sounding too informal.
  5. Regional awareness helps. If you're learning Spanish for Spain specifically, learn "ordenador." If you're focused on Latin America, "computadora" is safer. Using the wrong regional term won't cause major problems, but using the right one sounds more natural.

Anyway, if you want to actually use this Spanish technology vocabulary with real content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words instantly while watching Spanish tech videos or reading articles. Makes learning from authentic Spanish sources way more practical. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

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Why Spanish technology vocabulary matters in 2026

The internet doesn't care about borders. You might be reading Spanish software documentation, collaborating with developers in Mexico, or just trying to help your Spanish-speaking neighbor fix their computer. Tech vocabulary comes up constantly in real conversations, and you will definitely encounter these words when watching Spanish videos, dramas, movies, or documentaries.

If you consume media in Spanish, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. Period.

Language evolves constantly. Keep yourself updated!