As is tradition around Christmas time, the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) presented this Tuesday the news of the Dictionary of the Spanish language (DLE), in its electronic version 23.8. Among the words that enter the Dictionary highlight spoiler (from English spoiler), dana, serum and teleworking. To others, meanings are added, such as chorreo, which adds the meaning of “anger, reprimand or scolding.” In addition, expressions are incorporated, such as health center, mobile unit, comfort zone and vote of punishment, among others. The director of the RAE and president of the Association of Spanish Language Academies (Asale) – there are 23 around the world –, Santiago Muñoz Machado, has reported that in total there are 4,074 modifications, “which are not absolute novelties, but also include variations, rectifications or deletions of articles.” “The additions are 609, while the amendments or ratifications are 1,304,” he explained.
Muñoz Machado has announced that “next year the 24th edition of the Dictionary will begin to be prepared, which will be presented in 2026, the electronic version will be 24.0.” The director’s desire is that “it will also be published on paper, although logically in a smaller version.” There are 94,000 entries in the current Dictionary and when the next edition is announced, in autumn 2026, “it will allow browsing the entire web version, without the limitations that currently exist,” indicated academic Dolores Corbella.
Of the new features, spoilers stand out, the “revelation of important details of the plot or outcome of a work of fiction, which reduces or nullifies the interest of those who do not yet know them.” A definition that excludes works of nonfiction? In the television field there is another change, which adds to the word season the meaning as “a set of episodes of a series or program.”
A term unfortunately widely used in recent weeks, dana, is defined as “the depression at high levels of the atmosphere that moves independently and can produce major disturbances with very intense precipitation.” This word, which must be written in lowercase, arises as an acronym for “isolated depression at high levels.”
Among the expressions, already well known, are incorporated: mobile unit, which is the vehicle that, provided with the necessary equipment, is used to provide specialized services; It can be a mobile health unit, radio, television. Comfort zone refers to the mental state or situation in which the feeling of security and comfort with what is known prevails; while a punishment vote is one that is granted to one option with the preferential purpose of harming another.
Something as common in people’s lives as teleworking is also added, with the logical meaning of “working teleworking.” While serum is introduced as “more or less dense liquid, with a repairing, revitalizing, moisturizing effect, used as a cosmetic.”
The head of the RAE Institute of Lexicography, Elena Zamora, has stressed that technological development provides a significant number of words, such as aerothermal (technology that takes advantage of the energy contained in the atmosphere to provide heating). Also, granularity, used in various areas, as a degree of detail of information. Regarding health sciences, dentistry incorporates the notion of “oral health”, which goes beyond suffering from a toothache. Continuing with technology, they become part of the Dictionary developer, one who conceives or implements computer programs; or scalability, a polysyllable used in economics and computing as a scalable quality, that is, having the capacity to grow and develop.
Gastronomy is another of the areas in which there is usually news every year. This time they are added: barista (a person who is an expert in preparing coffee or who serves in a bar), frapé (a drink that is prepared with crushed ice or served very cold), infusion (such as steeping certain fruits or aromatic herbs in boiled water) , tabbouleh (the Middle Eastern dish made from wheat semolina, tomato, onion, parsley…) or wasabi (the edible root with a very spicy flavor, originally from Japan).
The world of music, likewise, adds voices, as a bluesman, related to the blues, who composes or performs it; rapping, which is singing or performing to a rap rhythm. Anglicism is incorporated in italics groupie, to the fan who accompanies a singer or group unconditionally in their performances; and indieabout independent film or music, produced outside of large studios and companies. And if we talk about sport, we find bike cross (like that, with two S’s and no accent marks) or capoeira, the Brazilian martial art. Words like fitness o full contact.
Likewise, there is a group of polysyllables that come together, related to different areas, such as debt relief, that is, getting rid of debt; playwright, the person who collaborates with the director in the analysis and production of a show; musealize, the verb used when we talk about transforming a place of cultural interest into a museum or, also, turning something into a museum piece. The humanizing voice was not in the Dictionary. Now it comes as “that humanizes”, therefore, making something human or affable.
Dolores Corbella has stressed in her intervention that this is “a pan-Hispanic dictionary”, which is why she has listed examples provided by American academies. Thus, the Chilean requested that grill be added, with the meaning of roasting a food on a grill. And although the tango Cambalache He is ninety years old and it was said that there have always been “jets”, now this voice is added with the meaning of thief and swindler. The azotehuela, as the interior patio of a home is called in Mexico, also enters.
Finally, Zamora has presented the new image of the website of the Dictionary“more modern and with better structured content; greater visual appeal has been sought”, in which an increase in font size stands out. The word search engine heads the page and several functionalities are maintained, such as the search by expressions, but more prominently. It also follows, but highlighted, the word of the day for the RAE. A new feature is a section with links to mobile applications so that users can download the Dictionary.