demonios
/deˈmonjos/
The Spanish word for "heck" is demonios.
demonios is used to express mild frustration or surprise.
Meaning: euphemism of hell (intj)
Which one should you use?
While demonios is a common way to add emphasis to a question, caray is a much milder, more polite euphemism used to express surprise without the aggressive connotation of 'demons'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the term caramba is commonly used to express mild frustration or irritation.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'What the heck…?' in Spanish, you insert demonios after the interrogative pronoun, such as qué (what) or cómo (how).
How do you pronounce it?
/deˈmonjos/
Did you know?
- The word demonios can also be used as a noun to describe a person who is exceptionally skilled or mischievous, such as calling someone 'un demonio' in a playful way. This strips the word of its frustrating exclamation use.
- While demonios refers to 'demons', using it as an exclamation is generally considered much less offensive than using the word infierno (hell) in many Spanish-speaking cultures.
- While demonios translates literally to 'demons', using it as an exclamation can actually make you sound more formal or literary than a typical person on the street. In casual settings, people often prefer much more vulgar terms to express the same frustration.
Examples in context
- ¡Tu cara está por toda la BBC, Dima! exclamó Al-Sayib. ¡Dicen que te acostaste con 25 hombres y después los mataste! ¡¿Cómo demonios lo hiciste?!"Your face is all over the BBC, Dima!" Al-Sayib exclaimed. "They say you slept with 25 men and then killed them! How the heck did you do that?!"This sentence shows how to use demonios to add emphasis to a question.Tatoeba #573034 by Shishir, translation #572881 by FeuDRenais2
- ¡Rayos! Olvidé mi cartera en casaHeck! I forgot my wallet at home
- ¡Rayos! Mi computadora se ha bloqueado.Heck! My computer has crashed.
- ¡Diablos! Perdí el autobúsHeck! I missed the bus
- ¡Maldición! Olvidé mi teléfono en el restauranteHeck! I left my phone at the restaurant
- ¡Demonios! Se me rompió el lápizHeck! I broke my pencil
- ¡Demonios! Se me rompió el vaso.Heck! I broke the glass.
- ¡Caramba! No tengo dinero para el cineHeck! I don't have money for the movies
- ¿Qué demonios estás haciendo aquí?What the heck are you doing here?
- No sé qué demonios pasó con mi coche.I don't know what the heck happened to my car.
Example conversation
Maria and Javier are looking for a lost remote control.
- María¡Demonios! No encuentro el control remoto.Heck! I can't find the remote control.
- Javier¡Busca bien, María! Debe estar ahí.Look carefully, Maria! It must be there.
- María¡Ya miré en todas partes!I already looked everywhere!
- JavierMira, Javier lo encontró debajo del sofá.Look, Javier found it under the sofa.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry demonios, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
