Spanish-English Glossary of Computer and Internet Terms

If you travel to a country where Spanish is spoken, chances are that sooner or later you'll find yourself using a computer. For English speakers, the Spanish of computers and the internet can be surprisingly easy—in areas of technology, many Spanish terms were adopted from English, and many English words in the sciences come to us via Latin or Greek, which are also the sources of Spanish words.

Even so, Spanish vocabulary related to computers and the internet remains in a state of flux; some purists have objected to the direct import of English words. Because of this, for example, a computer mouse will sometimes be referred to simply as a "mouse" (pronounced as maus), but the word ratón is used as well. And some words are used in different ways by different people and publications; for example, you'll see references both to la internet (because the word for network, red, is feminine) and el internet (because new words in the language typically are masculine by default).

These variations should be kept in mind if using the following list of computer and internet terms. Although the terms given here are all used by Spanish speakers somewhere, word choice may depend on the region and preference of the individual speaker. In some cases, there may also be other spellings or alternative terms that aren't listed here.

In most cases, imported English words related to technology tend to keep the English pronunciation or something approximating it.

Computer Terms in Spanish: A–L

• address (in email or on a website): la dirección
• app: la app (the word is feminine), la aplicación
• "at" symbol (@): la arroba
• backslash (\): la barra invertida, la barra inversa, la contrabarra
• backup: la copia de seguridad (verb, hacer una copia/archivo de seguridad)
• bandwidth: la amplitud de banda
• battery: la pila
• bookmark: el favorito, el marcador, el marcapáginas
• boot (verb): iniciar, prender, encender
• browser: el navegador (web), el browser
• bug: el fallo, el error, el bug
• button (as on a mouse): el botón
• byte, kilobyte, megabyte: byte, kilobyte, megabyte
• cable: el cable
• cache: el caché, la memoria cache
• card: la tarjeta
• CD-ROM: CD-ROM
• click (noun): el clic
• click (verb): hacer clic, cliquear, presionar, pulsar
• computer: la computadora (sometimes el computador), el ordenador
• cookie (used in browsers): la cookie
• crash (verb): colgarse, bloquearse
• cursor: el cursor
• cut and paste: cortar y pegar
• data: los datos
• desktop (of a computer screen): el escritorio, la pantalla
• digital: digital
• domain: el dominio
• dot (in internet addresses): el punto
• download: descargar
• driver: el controlador de dispositivo, el driver
• email (noun): el correo electrónico, el email (plural los emails)
• email (verb): enviar correo electrónico, enviar por correo electrónico, emailear
• erase, delete: borrar
• file: el archivo
• firewall: el contrafuegos, el firewall
• flash memory: la memoria flash
• folder: la carpeta
• frequently asked questions, FAQ: las preguntas más frecuentes, las preguntas de uso frecuente, las preguntas (más) comunes, las FAQ, las PUF
• Google (as a verb): googlear
• hard drive: el disco duro
• hertz, megahertz, gigahertz: hertz, megahertz, gigahertz
• high resolution: resolución alta, definición alta
• home page: la página inicial, la página principal, la portada
• icon: el icono
• install: instalar
• internet: la internet, el internet, la Red
• key (of a keyboard): la tecla
• keyboard: el teclado
• keyword: la palabra clave
• laptop (computer): el plegable, la computadora portátil, el ordenador portátil
• LCD: LCD
• link: el enlace, la conexión, el vínculo

Computer Terms in Spanish: M–Z

• memory: la memoria
• menu: el menú
• message: el mensaje
• modem: el módem
• mouse: el ratón, el mouse
• multitasking: la multitarea
• network: la red
• open-source: de código abierto
• operating system: el sistema operativo, el código operacional
• password: la contraseña
• print (verb): imprimir
• printer: la impresora
• privacy; privacy policy: la privacidad; la política de privacidad, la póliza de privacidad
• processor: el procesador
• program: el programa (verb, programar)
• RAM: la RAM, la memoria RAM
• save (a file or document): guardar
• screen: la pantalla
• screensaver: el salvapantallas
• search engine: el buscador, el servidor de búsqueda
• server: el servidor
• slash (/): la barra, la barra oblicua
• software: el software
• smartphone: el teléfono inteligente, el smartphone
• spam: el correo basura, el spam
• streaming: streaming
• tab (in a browser): la pestaña
• terms and conditions: los términos y condiciones
• toolbar: la barra de herramientas
• USB, USB port: USB, puerto USB
• video: el video
• virus: el virus
• web page: la página web (plural las páginas web)
• website: el web (plural los webs), el sitio web (plural los sitios web)
• WiFi: el wifi
• window: la ventana
• wireless: inalámbrico