Computer and Internet Terms in Spanish

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)