manía
/maˈnia/
The English phrase "pet peeve" can be translated into Spanish as manía.
Manía is used to describe a personal dislike or something that is personally annoying to an individual. While it can also refer to a clinical obsession or a mania, in common usage it is the standard way to describe a personal pet peeve or a recurring annoyance.
Meaning: something that is personally annoying, a personal dislike (noun)
Which one should you use?
The phrase fuente de irritación is a formal way to say 'pet peeve'.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈnia/
Did you know?
- The word manía comes from the Ancient Greek word manía, which originally meant 'madness'.
- While manía describes a pet peeve, it can also be used to describe a person you simply cannot stand, such as saying 'me da manía ese hombre' to mean 'that man really irritates me'.
- In some Spanish-speaking countries, the word manía is used as a synonym for a 'habit' or a 'quirk', even if that habit is not necessarily annoying to others.
Examples in context
- La cosa que me molesta es cuando la gente no respeta mi espacio personal.The thing that bothers me is when people don't respect my personal space.
- Mi manía es cuando la gente deja la ropa tirada en el suelo.My pet peeve is when people leave their clothes on the floor.
- Lo que me saca de quicio es el ruido de las motocicletas por la noche.What drives me crazy is the noise from motorcycles at night.
- Me pone de los nervios cuando la gente llega tarde sin avisar.It gets on my nerves when people arrive late without notifying in advance.
- Tengo manía a la gente que llega tarde.I have a pet peeve about people who arrive late.
- Esa manía de dejar platos sucios me molesta.That pet peeve of leaving dirty dishes annoys me.
- Mi mayor manía es el desorden en la mesa.My biggest pet peeve is clutter on the table.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are talking about their habits at home.
- Elena¿Cuál es tu mayor manía?What is your biggest pet peeve?
- AlejandroMi manía es que la gente hable alto.My pet peeve is people talking loudly.
- ElenaA mí también me molesta eso.That annoys me too.
- AlejandroParece que compartimos la misma manía.It seems we share the same pet peeve.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry manía, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries manía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
