Here's How To Call Someone Ugly In Spanish
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When you first start to learn Spanish, you usually learn how to say nice things.
Words like bonito (pretty) and hermoso (beautiful) are some of the very first adjectives you’ll memorize.
But let’s be honest - sometimes you need to say the exact opposite!
Whether you’re describing a funny-looking dog, an unattractive movie villain, or a terrible outfit, knowing how to say “ugly” is an important part of building your Spanish vocabulary.
Keep in mind that calling a person ugly directly can be very rude, just like in English.
However, knowing these words helps you understand native speakers and express yourself fully.
Let’s look at the different ways to say ugly in Spanish, from the most basic words to some really fun regional slang.
Table of Contents:
The most common way: feo or fea
The most standard and direct way to say “ugly” in Spanish is feo.
Because Spanish is a language where adjectives have to match the gender of the person or thing you’re describing, you’ll change the ending based on who you’re talking about:
- Use feo for males or masculine nouns.
- Use fea for females or feminine nouns.
- Add an “s” to the end (feos / feas) if you’re talking about more than one person.
Here are a couple of examples of how to use it in a sentence:
El villano de la película es muy feo.
Ella es muy fea por dentro.
Milder and polite ways to say ugly
Calling someone feo or fea is very direct and can easily hurt someone’s feelings. If you want to soften the blow and be a little more polite, native speakers use a few clever tricks.
Here are some softer alternatives you can use instead of the word feo:
Poco agraciado / Poco agraciada
This translates to “unattractive” or literally “not very graceful.” It’s a much more formal and polite way to say someone isn’t exactly good-looking.
No muy guapo / No muy bonito
Instead of calling someone ugly, you can simply say they’re “not very handsome” (no muy guapo) or “not very pretty” (no muy bonita).
Feíto / Feíta
In Spanish, adding -ito or -ita to the end of a word makes it smaller or cuter (this is called a diminutive). By saying someone is feíto, you’re saying they’re “a little ugly” or “funny-looking” in a more affectionate, less aggressive way.
Él es un poco feíto, pero es muy dulce.
Slang and regional words for ugly
This is where Spanish gets really fun! Depending on the country you’re in, there are dozens of different slang words to describe someone as ugly.
If you travel to Mexico, Spain, or South America, you’ll definitely hear some of these colorful expressions:
| Slang word | Region | Literal meaning | How it’s used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bagre | Latin America | Catfish | Used as an insult to call someone really ugly. |
| Gacho / Gacha | Mexico | Slouched / Bent | Can mean an ugly person, a bad situation, or something of poor quality. |
| Cardo | Spain | Thistle (a prickly weed) | Used in Spain to describe someone who’s very tough to look at. |
| Federico | Mexico / LatAm | The name “Frederick” | A playful, rhyming slang way to say “feo” without actually saying the word feo. |
| Chusco / Chusca | Peru | Mixed-breed street dog | Often used to describe someone who’s unrefined or physically unattractive. |
Describing things and situations as ugly
Remember, the word feo isn’t just used for people! It’s incredibly common to use feo to describe objects, animals, and even situations or weather.
If you see an ugly sweater, if the weather looks gloomy and terrible, or if a situation feels sketchy and bad, you can use the word feo.
No me gusta esta camisa, es muy fea.
El clima está feo hoy.
Las cosas se pusieron feas en la fiesta.
To quickly recap:
- Feo / fea is the most direct and standard translation for “ugly”.
- If you want to be polite, use poco agraciado or no muy guapo.
- Use the diminutive feíto if you want to say someone is just “a little ugly” or funny-looking in a cute way.
- Try out regional slang like bagre or gacho when chatting informally with native speakers.
