The Spanish Language Dictionary (DLE) has added a batch of new terms, including ‘Machirulo’, ‘big data’, ‘cookie’, ‘non-binary’ and ‘sinhogarismo’, as announced in the latest update released this Tuesday by the director of the Real Academia Española, Santiago Muñoz Machado. The expansion reflects the ongoing evolution of language in the digital age and the need for the academy to document everyday speech as it shifts across communities and cultures.
Among the newly sanctioned entries are words such as ‘Chundachunda’ and ‘oscarizar’, broader examples of the creative coinages that enter the lexicon when contemporary usage gains traction. The electronic edition of the 23.7 version of the DLE now brings together synonyms and antonyms within a historically comprehensive resource, consolidating more than forty-two thousand dictionary articles. These entries illustrate how the DLE continues to grow in tandem with language use across regions in the Spanish-speaking world.
In total, the latest update adds a substantial number of features, encompassing new words, new articles, variations of existing entries, and some deletions. The scope of changes reaches 4,381 individual operations, signaling a broad and thoughtful revision process that aims to mirror current usage while preserving linguistic heritage.
At a press conference presenting the update, the RAE director highlighted several notable neologisms and expansions. Terms like ‘crunch’ describe a person who stands out prominently in a particular area, while more culinary terms such as ‘cochifrito’ and ‘Colin’ were discussed in connection with gastronomic topics. The emphasis placed on these examples demonstrates how the DLE serves as a living archive, capturing both professional jargon and everyday expression as it evolves.
The inclusion of these terms underscores the role of the DLE as a dynamic reference that tracks linguistic experimentation and cultural shifts. Language lovers, educators, students, translators, and content creators alike can rely on the updated dictionary to understand contemporary meanings, nuances, and the relationships between words and their contexts. The revised entries also help users navigate the semantic landscape where slang, borrowing, and hybrid expressions intersect with more traditional vocabulary.
Beyond merely listing new entries, the update reflects careful editorial decisions about how words relate to existing terms. The DLE’s approach balances innovation with stability, ensuring that new words are anchored in clear definitions, usage examples, and cross-referenced terms that illuminate their connections to established lexicon. This approach supports effective communication in both casual discourse and formal writing across Spanish-speaking communities in Spain, Latin America, and other regions.
For scholars and language enthusiasts in Canada and the United States, the expanded DLE offers a valuable resource for understanding contemporary Spanish usage in diasporic communities and across bilingual contexts. The dictionary’s expanded coverage assists readers who engage with Spanish-language media, literature, education, and social commentary, providing a foundation for accurate interpretation and translation in diverse settings. Marked citations accompany the updates to ensure readers can trace the provenance of terms and observe the evolution of their meanings over time [citation: Real Academia Española press materials].
In summary, the DLE’s 23.7 electronic edition stands as a robust, evolving repository that records how modern life shapes language. The inclusion of new terms such as ‘Machirulo’, ‘big data’, ‘cookie’, and ‘non-binary’, along with the broader set of enhancements announced by the academy, demonstrates a cautious yet responsive approach to linguistic change. The updated dictionary not only documents new vocabulary but also clarifies how changes in technology, culture, and social norms influence how people express themselves in Spanish today [citation: RAE official communications].