Spanish is the official language ofNicaragua.Nicaraguan Spanish (Spanish:español nicaragüense) is geographically defined as the form of Spanish spoken in Nicaragua. Affectionately, Nicaraguan Spanish is often calledNicañol.^[3]

The Spanish dialect in Nicaragua is heavily influenced byNahuatl andNawat in its vocabulary and substrate.^[4][5] The Nawat language was spoken by theNicarao people who inhabit the western half of the country. Despite its extinction in Nicaragua, words of Nahuatl and Nawat origin can be seen and heard in daily Nicaraguan speech and literature.^[6][7]

Nicaragua has the highest frequency, among Central American countries, of the use ofvoseo—use of the pronounvos and its verb forms for the familiar second-person singular ("you"), in place of thetú ofStandard Spanish. In this regard it is similar to the usage ofArgentina andUruguay in theRío de la Plata region of South America.Vos is used frequently in colloquial and familiar settings, but Nicaraguans also understandtuteo. The use of "vos" can be heard in television programs and can be seen in written form in publications.^[8]

In theNorth Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region and theSouth Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, language and pronunciation is strongly influenced by Indigenous and creole languages such asMiskito,Rama,Sumo,Miskito Coastal Creole,Jamaican Patois,Garifuna andRama Cay Creole but Spanish has become the main language spoken.

The Nicaraguan accent, like most New World Spanish, dates back to the 16th century inAndalusia. It shares later developments ofAndalusian Spanish with that ofCuba, theDominican Republic and the Caribbean/coastal regions ofVenezuela,Colombia,Panama, andPuerto Rico. Nicaragua's relative isolation fromSpain, however, and, to an extent, from other nations, fostered the development of the Nicaraguan accent, which did not change in the same ways that the Andalusian,Canarian, or other Spanish-American accents did.

Most Central American Dialects have their origins inGuatemala because most dialects grew inCaptaincy General of Guatemala.

During its history, Nicaraguan Spanish has acquired many indigenous influences and several distinguishing characteristics. Until the 19th century, a hybrid form of Nahuat-Spanish was the common language of Nicaragua. Today,Nahuat,Mangue,Mayan andChibcha words, along with their respectivesyntax, can be found in everyday speech. Also, as Nicaragua was a center-point ofMesoamerican and South American indigenous groups, there are a number of words widely used in Nicaragua which haveMatagalpan,Chibcha,Miskito,Nahuatl, or other native origins, in particular names for flora, fauna andtoponyms.

Notable characteristics of Nicaraguan phonology include the following:

• The presence ofSeseo wherein/θ/ and/s/ are not distinguished. Seseo is common toAndalusian andCanarian Spanish varieties.
• Syllable-final/s/ is realized as glottal[h]^[9][10] (except in the southern departments ofRio San Juan andRivas, and in the formal speech, like TV broadcasts).^{[citation needed]}
  • Syllable final/s/-aspiration occurs to a greater extent in Nicaraguan Spanish than in the other Central American dialects. Nicaraguans retain phrase-finalh more often than Caribbean speakers, and rarely fully elide pre-consonantal/s/.^[11]
• /x/ is realized as glottal[h].^[9][10]
• Intervocalic/d/ often disappears; the ending-ado is often[ao].^[9][10]
• There is no confusion between/l/ and/r/, as in the Caribbean.^{[citation needed]}
• Word-final/n/ is pronounced velar[ŋ].^[9][10]
• Word-finalvoicelessstops (/p/,/t/,/k/—rare in native Spanish words, but occurring in many words borrowed from English) are often merged in pronunciation as[k].^[9] The Costa Rican ice cream shopPops, with franchises in other Central American countries, is pronounced in certain regions of Nicaragua asPocs.Internet is sometimes pronounced *Internec;cenit is pronounced *cenic;laptop is pronounced *lactoc; androbot pronounced *roboc. This is sometimes extended to native Spanish words where such stops are found at the end of a syllable. For example,aceptar is sometimes pronounced *acectar.
• As Nicaragua was part ofFirst Mexican Empire, Nicaraguan dialect adopted thevoiceless alveolar affricate[t͡s] and the cluster[tl] (originally/tɬ/) represented by the respective digraphs <tz> and <tl> in loanwords of Nahuatl origin, likequetzal andtlapalería[t͡ɬapaleˈɾia] ('hardware store'). Even words of Greek and Latin origin with <tl>, such asAtlántico andatleta, are pronounced with/tl/:[aˈtlantiko],[aˈtleta] (compare[aðˈlantiko],[aðˈleta] in Spain and other dialects in Hispanic America).^[12]

Vos is the predominant second person singular pronoun used by most speakers in familiar or informal contexts to address people in the same age group.Vos is also used by adults in addressing children or juveniles, but children address adults withusted, though this is changing in the 21st century.

Nicaraguanvoseo is both pronominal and verbal; that is, speakers use the pronounvos and the characteristic final-stressed verb forms. SeeVoseo

SeeVoseo Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Nicaraguanvoseo—like that ofRioplatense Spanish—places stress on the last syllable. For example,¡Ven acá! or¡Ven aquí! becomes¡Vení!

Usted is the formal second person singular pronoun in Nicaraguan Spanish, as in almost all modern varieties of Spanish.Usted is used in addressing elderly people, authorities, foreigners formally and in business settings. In contrast to neighboringCosta Rica, Nicaraguans are more inclined to address a casual acquaintance asvos, rather thanusted.

Tú is hardly used in Nicaraguan Spanish, except in addressing foreigners familiarly, in speech or in writing. Due in part to the influence of Mexican, Colombian, and Venezuelan television programming, Nicaraguans are familiar withtuteo, and some television viewers, especially children, have begun to use it in limited contexts.

A number of words widely used in Nicaragua which haveNahuatl, Chibcha or other native origins, in particular names for flora, fauna andtoponyms. Some of these words are used in most, or all, Spanish-speaking countries, likechocolate andaguacate ("avocado"). For a more complete list, seeList of Spanish words of Nahuatl origin. Certain words that are ubiquitous in Nicaraguan Spanish may not be immediately recognizable to non-Nicaraguans:

• ahuevado: (adj.) It means to be worried, . Similar to "preocupado" or "afligido".
• boludo: lazy.
• bróder: friend, brother, companion.
• cachipil/cachimbo: a lot, a large quantity.
• caite: form of leather shoe typically worn and made bycampesinos.
• caponera:auto rickshaw, motorized tricycles.
• chavalo/a: adolescent or young person; child.^[13]
• chayúl: gnat, fruit flies.
• chimbomba:balloon.
• chochada: something unimportant; nonsense (usually as a comment in regard to someone's words).
• chompipe: turkey.
• chunche: an all-purpose word that's loosely translated to mean "that" or "thing"
• cipote/chigüin: brat, punk; small child.^[14]
• cuecho: gossip.
• cumiche: baby of the family, the youngest son or daughter.
• encachimbado: angry, furious, disgusted. Angrier than "arrecho".
• enturcado: angry as well. In the same intensity of "encachimbado".
• goma: hangover (estar de goma).
• guaro: liquor, usually rum.
• ideay: expression of surprise; means: What's up?.
• ipegüe: baker's dozen (13 items) .
• maje: depending on context, it can refer to a friend, a third person (in a familiar manner).
• nica,nicoya}}: (noun, colloquial) Nicaraguan.
• pajilla/sorbete: drinking straw.
• pegue: workplace or any job.
• pinche: stingy, cheapskate
• pinolero/a: (noun, colloquial) a Nicaraguan person.
• pulpería:grocery store.
• salvaje: (colloquial) awesome, impressive.
• tamal: thief, crook.
• tapudo: liar or bigmouth.
• tuanis: very nice or pleasing, of high quality (often applied to clothing).
• zancudo:mosquito.
• mazorca: husk of corn

• Spanish language in the Americas
• Central American Spanish
• Seseo
• Voseo

• Real Academia Española Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas
• History of Voseo
• Lexicon of Nicaraguan Spanish
• Dropping ofS in word endings.

• Central American Spanish

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