25+ Spanish Words and Phrases to Use When Texting

Text message abbreviations will save you a lot of time when making plans with friends. Whether you need to let them know you’ll brb, or if they showed you a meme so funny that you lol’d, knowing how to abbreviate words in Spanish is key if you want to connect with your friends when texting. Getting and using a phone abroad is something you won’t want to miss if you’re looking for a modern-day cultural experience, so today we’ll look at some of the ways we laugh, talk, and communicate via text in Spanish!

Laughing in Spanish

One of the first things most people encounter when texting in Spanish is how different we express laughter. Since the “h” is silent in Spanish, we use the similar-sounding “j,” so we write “jajajaja”  instead of “hahahaha.” But there is much more to laughing in Spanish than a simple letter. We are an expressive bunch, so the length, vowel, case, and prefix can say a lot about how you’re actually laughing.

Kinds of Written Laughter

jajajaja — regular laughter

jejejeje — dorky laughter

jijijijijijiji — mischievous laughter

jojojojo — jolly laughter

jujujujuju — cocky laughter

wuajajaja — burst out laughing

ggggggg — dorkier laughter

huehuehue — dorky and evil laughter

muajajajaja — evil laughter

And that’s how we laugh in Spanish! Did you find it strange, or perhaps similar to English? Like we saw before, length can also change the meaning of laughter. Writing “jajajajaja” is different from writing “ja,” for example. 

Texting Abbreviations in Spanish

Sometimes we’re in a rush or just a little bit lazy. Other times we want to be quirky and efficient. That’s why we use abbreviations for our Spanish words when texting. Before we get to our handy chart, let’s talk about a special case.

The meaning of “x”

Sometimes, you’ll see the letter “x” as part of an abbreviation. This “x” actually means por, and we write it like that because the multiplication sign in arithmetic “x” is also called por. So if I write “Cuesta $5 x persona” The translation would be “It costs $5 per person.” (Learn more about using por and para.) 

Will You Have an Accent When Texting?

The answer is yes, you will! Just like we speak differently from one country to the next, so is our texting. So while most of these abbreviations are universal, you’ll find some of them will have variations that will depend on the person you’re speaking to. Don’t forget that learning those variations is part of the fun when connecting with a new culture! 

What About Punctuation Marks?

Contrary to our usual method of writing (the correct one), you’ll notice how this time I won’t be using the inverted question and exclamation marks that are normally used when writing in Spanish. This is because people don’t use these when texting, out of convenience.

That doesn’t mean you should start missing your punctuation marks, though! This is a special case for casual texting, an informal kind of writing. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some abbreviations:

Texting Examples

Texting Anglicisms

Just like we have anglicisms in spoken Spanish, we also adopted some abbreviations from English texting into Spanish! The meanings and use of anglicized abbreviations like “lol” and “bro” bear the same meaning as they do in English. You’ll find that the more English the other person knows, the more likely they are to use English abbreviations in their texts. Phrases like nvm and omg are common when a bilingual, native Spanish-speaker texts you.

Chat With Us!

When you make friends abroad, a big part of the fun is keeping in touch with them and visiting when possible. That’s why texting in Spanish is as important as speaking it! If you want more informal writing tips after this quick crash course on texting in Spanish, why not take a free class? We also have some formal writing tips and plenty of spelling guides that will help you skyrocket your Spanish to the next level. Happy texting!

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Rafael Parra

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

A native Spanish speaker from Guatemala, I'm a psychology student, creative developer, and aspiring polymath who's always learning new things and improving as a person. I'm a nerd when it comes to language, education, and videogames. My goal is to practice all these disciplines in unison and make something great with my time.

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