Chilean Spanish

Chilean Spanish
español chileno
castellano chileno
Pronunciation[kasteˈʝano tʃiˈleno]
Native toChile
EthnicityChileans
Native speakers
17.4 million (2015)
Latin (Spanish alphabet)
Official status
Official language in
 Chile
Regulated byAcademia Chilena de la Lengua
Language codes
ISO 639-3
GlottologNone
IETFes-CL
  Majority
  Minority

Chilean Spanish (Spanish: español chileno or castellano chileno) is any of several varieties of the Spanish language spoken in most of Chile. Chilean Spanish dialects have distinctive pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and slang usages that differ from those of Standard Spanish, with various linguists identifying Chilean Spanish as one of the most divergent varieties of Spanish.

The Royal Spanish Academy recognizes 2,214 words and idioms exclusively or mainly produced in Chilean Spanish, in addition to many still unrecognized slang expressions. Formal Spanish in Chile has recently incorporated an increasing number of colloquial elements.