pavos
/pabos/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for bucks is pavos.
pavos is an informal slang term used to refer to US dollars or general amounts of money in a casual context, similar to how the English word "bucks" is used.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, pavos means "turkeys" in Spanish.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
pavos is an informal term. If you are looking for other ways to refer to money informally, you might use plata, which is used across many Spanish-speaking countries or morlacos, which is commonly used in Spain.
How do you pronounce it?
/pabos/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking contexts, 'pavo' can also be used to describe a person who is a 'fool' or 'clueless', adding a layer of insult to the monetary term.
- The term 'morlacos' mentioned as an alternative in Spain has a much older, historical connection to specific coins used in the past.
- While pavos is common in Spain, using it in some Latin American countries might lead people to think you are literally talking about 'turkeys' rather than money.
Examples in context
- ¿Tienes cinco pavos?Do you have 5 bucks?This sentence is useful for asking if someone possesses a certain amount of pavos.Tatoeba #13698944 by Seael, translation #13698938 by frpzzd
- Ese reloj cuesta 200 pesos, es mucha plataThat watch costs 200 bucks, it's a lot of money
- ¡Ese concierto costó 100 morlacos!That concert cost 100 bucks!
- Solo me quedan diez pavos.I only have ten bucks left.
- Ese libro cuesta veinte pavos.That book costs twenty bucks.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are deciding what to buy at a street market.
- JavierMira este reloj, solo cuesta diez pavos.Look at this watch, it only costs ten bucks.
- LucíaEs muy barato, Javier. Cómpralo.It's very cheap, Javier. Buy it.
- JavierPero no sé si tengo diez pavos ahora.But I don't know if I have ten bucks right now.
- LucíaYo te los presto, no te preocupes.I'll lend them to you, don't worry.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pavos, 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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
