Spanish Technology Vocabulary: 45 Essential Tech Words for Everyday Life

Spanish technology vocabulary is the language you need to use a phone, connect to Wi-Fi, download an app, send a message, or ask for technical help. Start with practical words such as móvil /ˈmoβil/, contraseña /kontɾaˈseɲa/, pantalla /panˈtaʎa/, descargar /deskaɾˈɣaɾ/, and actualizar /aktwaliˈsaɾ/, then learn the regional differences that make your Spanish sound natural.

Spanish is spoken by more than 600 million potential users worldwide according to the Instituto Cervantes, and it is an official language in 20 sovereign countries. That reach matters with technology: the interface vocabulary on a phone in Madrid may differ slightly from the language a friend uses in Mexico City, Bogotá, or Buenos Aires.

The good news is that much digital vocabulary is shared. Many terms are either Spanish equivalents of international concepts or English borrowings adapted to Spanish spelling and pronunciation. Pair these words with our Spanish greetings guide and you can handle the human side of a digital conversation too.

The regional words that matter most

Technology changes quickly, but regional variation is not a mistake. It is a normal feature of Spanish, which has many national and local varieties. Francisco Moreno Fernández's Variedades de la lengua española describes how vocabulary changes across the Spanish-speaking world while speakers remain mutually intelligible.

The clearest example is computer. In Spain, an office worker will normally say ordenador /oɾðenaˈðoɾ/. In Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and many other Latin American countries, computadora /komputaˈðoɾa/ is more likely.

For phones, Spain favors móvil /ˈmoβil/, while celular /seluˈlaɾ/ is widespread in Latin America. Both words are easy to understand, so choose the local one when you know your audience, but do not worry if you use the other.

A USB flash drive is another useful difference. In Spain, many people say memoria USB /memoˈɾja ueseˈβe/ or pendrive /penˈdɾaiβ/. Across Latin America, memoria USB /memoˈɾja ueseˈβe/ is broadly safe. You may also hear USB /ueseˈβe/ alone.

Phone and connection language you will actually use

When someone asks for your phone number, they may say número de móvil /ˈnumeɾo ðe ˈmoβil/ in Spain or número de celular /ˈnumeɾo ðe seluˈlaɾ/ in Latin America. To say you have no signal, use no tengo señal /no ˈteŋɡo seˈɲal/.

For Wi-Fi, the core question is ¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi? /ˈkwal es la kontɾaˈseɲa del ˈwifi/. This means What is the Wi-Fi password? You can also ask ¿Hay wifi? /ai ˈwifi/, meaning Is there Wi-Fi?

Mobile data is datos móviles /ˈdatos ˈmoβiles/. A traveler might say necesito datos móviles /nesesito ˈdatos ˈmoβiles/, meaning I need mobile data. If your connection is weak, say la conexión va lenta /la konekˈsjon βa ˈlenta/, meaning the connection is slow.

Phone settings often use slightly different labels by brand and region. Ajustes /aˈxustes/ is especially common in Spain, while configuración /konfiɣuɾaˈsjon/ appears across the Spanish-speaking world. Learn both, because your device menu may use either one.

If you are using Spanish abroad, combine this vocabulary with essential Spanish travel phrases. A working phone is often the fastest route to a map, a reservation, or help in an unfamiliar place.

Everyday verbs for apps and files

Technology conversations rely on verbs more than isolated nouns. The four most useful are descargar /deskaɾˈɣaɾ/, subir /suˈβiɾ/, guardar /ɡwaɾˈðaɾ/, and borrar /boˈrar/.

Descargar /deskaɾˈɣaɾ/ means to download. You might see descarga la aplicación /desˈkaɾɣa la aplik aˈsjon/, download the app, in an advertisement or message.

Subir /suˈβiɾ/ means to upload. Voy a subir las fotos /boj a suˈβiɾ las ˈfotos/ means I am going to upload the photos. The same verb has many non-technical uses, including going up stairs or raising a price.

Guardar /ɡwaɾˈðaɾ/ means save, store, or keep. Before closing a document, someone may ask ¿Guardaste el archivo? /ɡwaɾˈðaste el aɾˈtʃiβo/, meaning Did you save the file?

Borrar /boˈrar/ means delete or erase. Borrar el mensaje /boˈrar el menˈsaxe/ means delete the message. It can sound less final than eliminar /elimiˈnaɾ/, but both are common in digital interfaces.

Useful commands in a Spanish interface

A software update is an actualización /aktwalisaˈsjon/, while the verb is actualizar /aktwaliˈsaɾ/. If your phone tells you hay una actualización disponible /ai ˈuna aktwalisaˈsjon disponiˈβle/, it means an update is available.

To log in, use iniciar sesión /iniˈsjaɾ seˈsjon/. To log out, use cerrar sesión /seˈraɾ seˈsjon/. These formal-looking phrases occur constantly in account menus, streaming platforms, and email services.

A link is an enlace /enˈlase/, though many speakers also say link /liŋk/. FundéuRAE recommends Spanish alternatives where they communicate clearly, but actual online language is flexible: English technical borrowings are very common, especially among younger users and in work settings.

Social media, streaming, and AI vocabulary

For social media, red social /reð soˈsjal/ literally means social network. Las redes sociales /las ˈreðes soˈsjales/ is the normal plural phrase for social media as a whole.

A post can be una publicación /una puβlikaˈsjon/, and to post is publicar /puβliˈkaɾ/. However, publicar /puβliˈkaɾ/ can sound more formal than the casual speech you hear among friends. Many people simply say subir una foto /suˈβiɾ una ˈfoto/, upload a photo.

A direct message is mensaje directo /menˈsaxe ðiˈɾekto/, often abbreviated as MD /emeˈðe/. A notification is notificación /notifikaˈsjon/. If someone says tengo las notificaciones desactivadas /ˈteŋɡo las notifik aˈsjones desaktiˈβaðas/, they mean their notifications are turned off.

Artificial intelligence is inteligencia artificial /inteliˈxensja aɾtifiˈsjal/, often shortened to IA /iˈa/. Unlike some specialized English acronyms, IA is a familiar label in Spanish news, workplaces, and app features.

The Real Academia Española records terms such as algoritmo /alɣoˈɾitmo/ and privacidad /pɾiβasiˈðað/ in its dictionary, but everyday usage depends heavily on context. María Moliner's Diccionario de uso del español is a useful reminder that a dictionary definition is only one part of knowing a word: register, collocation, and speaker habits determine what sounds natural.

Asking for technical help in Spanish

You do not need advanced Spanish to explain a device problem. Use short, clear sentences and name the relevant object.

• No funciona el wifi /no funˈsjona el ˈwifi/: The Wi-Fi does not work.
• No tengo señal /no ˈteŋɡo seˈɲal/: I have no signal.
• No carga /no ˈkaɾɣa/: It is not charging.
• La batería se agota rápido /la bateˈɾia se aˈɣota ˈrapiðo/: The battery runs out quickly.
• No recuerdo mi contraseña /no reˈkweɾðo mi kontɾaˈseɲa/: I do not remember my password.
• La pantalla está rota /la panˈtaʎa esˈta ˈrota/: The screen is broken.
• Necesito soporte técnico /nesesito soˈpoɾte ˈtekniko/: I need technical support.

If something has a software problem, say hay un fallo /ai um ˈfaʎo/ or hay un error /ai un eˈror/. Fallo /ˈfaʎo/ often refers to a fault or malfunction, while error /eˈror/ can refer to a mistake, system error, or incorrect action.

For polite help requests, use ¿Me puede ayudar? /me ˈpweðe aʝuˈðaɾ/, meaning Can you help me? If you are speaking to a friend, use ¿Me puedes ayudar? /me ˈpweðes aʝuˈðaɾ/. The formal and informal distinction follows the same pattern as other everyday Spanish interactions, including how to say goodbye naturally.

Learn technology vocabulary from real Spanish

Memorizing a word list helps, but tech vocabulary becomes reliable when you encounter it in situations. Change one familiar app to Spanish for ten minutes, then identify recurring words such as ajustes /aˈxustes/, cuenta /ˈkwenta/, privacidad /pɾiβasiˈðað/, and notificaciones /notifik aˈsjones/.

Watch a Spanish-language product review, gaming stream, or phone tutorial with subtitles. Notice that speakers often use a Spanish verb with an English noun, such as descargar /deskaɾˈɣaɾ/ una app /ap/, or use a completely Spanish phrase such as guardar en la nube /ɡwaɾˈðaɾ en la ˈnuβe/.

Make your own short commands too: abre el navegador /ˈaβɾe el naβeɣaˈðoɾ/, busca el enlace /ˈbuska el enˈlase/, descarga el archivo /desˈkaɾɣa el aɾˈtʃiβo/. Rehearsing whole chunks builds faster recognition than translating each individual word.

For broader everyday vocabulary, see our list of the 100 most common Spanish words. Technology words become much easier once you already control frequent verbs, articles, question words, and connectors.