Published on March 26th, 2011 | by Mark Chesnut

Popcorn: One Food, Many Ways to Say It in Spanish

If you’ve got a hankering for a brimming tub of hot popcorn in Latin America, you might want to consult with a local before heading to the counter at the movie theater. Popcorn may be one of life’s simple pleasures, but in Spanish, there are an array of different terms for it, depending on the nationality of the person who’s speaking.

So grab your ticket stub, head out into the lobby and confidently place your order, using this handy guide:

Argentina: pochoclo, tutuca

Bolivia: pipoca

Canary Islands: cotufa

Chile: cabrita

Colombia: crispetas or maíz pira

Cuba: rositas de maíz

Dominican Republic: cocaleca

Ecuador: canguil

Guatemala: poporopo

Mexico: palomitas de maíz

Panama: millo or popcorn

Paraguay: pororó

Peru: canchita

Puerto Rico: popcorn or poscon

Spain: tostón

Uruguay: pop

Venezuela: cotufa or gallito

Am I leaving out anything? Please let me know so I can expand this! (Also, please let me know what other terms we should feature that vary from country to country.)

Check out my additional posts about regional Spanish terms:

• The Many Ways to Say “Drinking Straw” in Spanish

• Cool Ways to Say “Cool” in Spanish

• Texting and Instant Messaging in Spanish

Tags: popcorn spanish translation, Spanis language lessons, Spanish language study, Spanish regional vocabulary, Spanish shortcuts, Spanish slang

About the Author

Mark Chesnut The founder and editor of LatinFlyer.com, Mark has more than 15 years of experience as a writer, editor and manager. He's worked with some of the biggest consumer, in-flight and travel trade publishers that cover Latin America.