qué diablos

[ˈke ˈð̞jaβ̞los]

/[ˈke ˈð̞jaβ̞los]/ phrase

The verdict

“qué diablos” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Úsase para enfatizar una pregunta o para expresar asombro, incredulidad o sorpresa.

Corpus desk

Index ES-que-diablos · qué diablos · Spanish

qué diablos · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Q" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for qué diablos
PropertyValue
Headwordqué diablos
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[ˈke ˈð̞jaβ̞los]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “qué diablos” en español

qué diablosqueda fuera de las 100.000 palabras españolas más frecuentes, en la cola larga de vocabulario técnico, arcaico o raro, justo donde más se duda de la ortografía.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

qué diablos is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [ˈke ˈð̞jaβ̞los]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Úsase para enfatizar una pregunta o para expresar asombro, incredulidad o sorpresa.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for qué diablos, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is qué diablos, spelled Q-U-É- -D-I-A-B-L-O-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Úsase para enfatizar una pregunta o para expresar asombro, incredulidad o sorpresa.

Synonyms

qué demoniosqué carajoqué mierdaqué diantresqué demontresqué putasqué lechesqué hostiasqué coñoqué cojones

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "qué diablos"?
"qué diablos" is spelled Q-U-É- -D-I-A-B-L-O-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈke ˈð̞jaβ̞los].
What does "qué diablos" mean?
As a phrase, "qué diablos" means: Úsase para enfatizar una pregunta o para expresar asombro, incredulidad o sorpresa.
How do you pronounce "qué diablos"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "qué diablos" is [ˈke ˈð̞jaβ̞los]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "qué diablos" come from?
"qué diablos" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list