¿pero qué coño?
/ˈpeɾo ˈke ˈkoɲo/word by wordSpain
In Spanish, the phrase 'wtf' can be expressed in several ways depending on the region, with the default form being ¿pero qué coño? Wiktionary also lists ¿pero qué demonios? and ¿pero qué cojones?
Meaning: What the fuck (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ¿pero qué coño? | /ˈpeɾo ˈke ˈkoɲo/ (word by word) | Spain |
| ¿pero qué demonios? | /ˈpeɾo ˈke deˈmonjos/ (word by word) | Spain |
| ¿pero qué cojones? | /ˈpeɾo ˈke koˈxones/ (word by word) | Spain |
| ¿qué chucha? | /ˈke ˈt͡ʃut͡ʃa/ (word by word) | Chile |
| ¿qué mierda? | /ˈke ˈmjeɾda/ (word by word) | Argentina, Chile |
| ¿pero qué chingados? | Mexico |
Which one should you use?
¿pero qué coño? Is a vulgar way to express shock or confusion, whereas ¿pero qué demonios? Is a milder, non-vulgar version.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the specific colloquial way to express this sentiment is ¿pero qué chingados? In Chile, ¿qué chucha? is a common slang expression for 'wtf', while ¿qué mierda? is also used in both Argentina and Chile.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpeɾo ˈke ˈkoɲo/
Did you know?
- In Chile, the expression qué chucha? is a common way to say 'wtf', but the word chucha is also the Quechua word for an 'opossum'.
- The word coño used in the phrase shares the same Latin root as the English word 'cunnus', a term for female genitalia.
- While ¿pero qué cojones? uses a word meaning 'testicles', it is used as a general exclamation of disbelief rather than a reference to anatomy.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué demonios está pasando?What the hell is going on?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wtf” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (pero, qué, coño, demonios, cojones, chucha, mierda) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chucha, cojones, coño, pero, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
