Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| biberón | /bibeˈɾon/ | Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain, formal, masculine |
| bibi | /ˈbibi/ | Puerto Rico, colloquial, masculine |
| chupón | /t͡ʃuˈpon/ | Costa Rica, masculine |
| mamadera | /mamaˈdeɾa/ | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, feminine |
| pacha | /ˈpat͡ʃa/ | El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, feminine |
| pepe | /pepe/ (from spelling rules) | Honduras, colloquial, masculine |
| pomo de leche | /pomo de let͡ʃe/ (from spelling rules) | Cuba, masculine |
| tetero | /teteɾo/ (from spelling rules) | Colombia, Venezuela, masculine |
| bibí | /bibi/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
The term refers to a bottle with a teat.
Which one should you use?
While chupón can be used to mean a baby bottle in Costa Rica, it is more commonly used to refer to a pacifier (dummy).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
biberón is a formal term. bibi and pepe are colloquial forms. tetero is also a colloquial way to refer to a baby bottle in the Caribbean, particularly in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word for baby bottle varies significantly by region: • biberón is used in Mexico, Spain and the Dominican Republic. • bibi is used in Puerto Rico. • chupón is used in Costa Rica. • mamadera is used in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. • pacha is used in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. In certain regions of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, pacha is also used. • pepe is used in Honduras. • pomo de leche is used in Cuba. • tetero is used in Colombia and Venezuela. In the Caribbean, particularly in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, it is also a colloquial term.
How does it change in a sentence?
biberón is a masculine noun, so it uses the article el instead of la. The plural of biberón is biberones.
How do you pronounce it?
/bibeˈɾon/
Did you know?
- The standard term biberón was not created natively in Spanish but was borrowed from the French word 'biberon'.
- In Cuba, you might hear the phrase pomo de leche, which treats the 'baby bottle' as a 'small pot of milk'.
- In Costa Rica, the word chupón can mean either a baby bottle or a pacifier, which can lead to confusion since these are two different objects in other Spanish-speaking countries.
Examples in context
- El bebé necesita su biberón ahora.The baby needs his baby bottle now.
- ¿Dónde dejaste el biberón limpio?Where did you leave the clean baby bottle?
- Compré un biberón nuevo para el niño.I bought a new baby bottle for the boy.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are preparing for the baby's nap.
- LucíaAlejandro, ¿puedes traer el biberón?Alejandro, can you bring the baby bottle?
- AlejandroSí, lo tengo aquí en la mano.Yes, I have it here in my hand.
- LucíaGracias, el bebé tiene mucha hambre.Thank you, the baby is very hungry.
- AlejandroEspero que se duerma rápido con su biberón.I hope he falls asleep quickly with his baby bottle.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “baby bottle” translations and entries biberón, bibi, chupón, mamadera, pacha, tetero, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries biberón, bibi, chupón, mamadera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
