Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| estúpido | /esˈtupido/ |
| gilí | /xiˈli/ |
| pendejo | /penˈdexo/ |
| tonto | /ˈtonto/ |
All the provided terms describe someone who is lacking in intelligence, though they vary significantly in strength and social acceptability.
Which one should you use?
While estúpido is a harsh insult, tonto is often used more lightly to mean silly or foolish. If you want to be more colloquial, you might use tarado/a, which is a slightly stronger alternative to 'stupid'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal contexts, use absurdo/a to describe the foolishness or absurdity of a situation or action or necio/a to denote someone being stubborn or foolish. In contrast, pendejo is a vulgar slang term for a stupid person and is much more offensive than estúpido.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term gilí is also a way to express this concept.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective estúpido changes its ending based on the gender and number of the people being described: use estúpida when referring to a female and estúpidos when describing a group of people.
How do you pronounce it?
/esˈtupido/
Did you know?
- The word gilí traces its roots back to the Sanskrit word śītá, meaning 'cold'. It traveled through Romani and Caló before becoming a Spanish term for someone lacking intelligence.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, calling someone tonto can be an affectionate way to describe a child or partner, whereas estúpido is almost always a serious insult.
- While estúpido is a direct descendant of Latin, the origin of tonto remains a mystery to linguists.
Examples in context
- Él no es estúpido.He is not stupid.This sentence shows how to negate the adjective estúpido.Tatoeba #535492 by Leono, translation #302395 by CK
- No te dije estúpido.I didn't call you stupid.This sentence shows how to use estúpido in a negative statement.Tatoeba #3390081 by marcelostockle, translation #2275824 by CK
- Mi amigo es estúpido.My friend is stupid.This sentence shows how to use estúpido to describe a person.Tatoeba #2112500 by hayastan, translation #2063996 by scorpione24r
- Mi jefe cometió un error tonto en ese informe.My boss made a stupid mistake in that report.
- Fue necio no escuchar los consejos de su abuela.He was stupid not to listen to his grandmother's advice.
- No seas estúpido y cuida tus pertenencias.Don't be stupid and take care of your belongings.
- ¿Cómo puedes ser tan tarado y olvidar tu propio cumpleaños?How can you be so stupid and forget your own birthday?
- No deberías hacer eso, eres un completo idiota.You shouldn't do that, you are a complete idiot.
- 226 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are discussing a bad decision made in a movie.
- DanielEl personaje principal es muy estúpido.The main character is very stupid.
- MaríaTienes razón, no piensa antes de actuar.You are right, he doesn't think before acting.
- DanielFue un plan estúpido para resolver el problema.It was a stupid plan to solve the problem.
- MaríaSí, es increíble que haya hecho eso.Yes, it is unbelievable that he did that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stupid” translations and entries estúpido, gilí, pendejo, tonto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries estúpido, gilí, pendejo, tonto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
