Padel grew up in Spanish-speaking countries (the history of padel has the full story), so a lot of its vocabulary still arrives that way. Even the LTA's own padel glossary is full of Spanish words. I've played in the Algarve, Malaga and Madrid as well as in London, Essex and Manchester, and it pays to know them.
This page covers the words that aren't shots: rules, scoring, the court itself, social formats and the slang in between. Each entry gives the Spanish where there is one, then one line on what it means. Shot names (bandeja, víbora, chiquita and the rest) have their own home in our padel shot names index, so they're not repeated here.
Rule terms come from the FIP's 2026 rulebook, in its English and Spanish versions. If you want the rules themselves on one sheet, that's our padel rules page.
A
Advantage (ventaja). The point after deuce in a game played with advantage scoring. Win the next one and the game is yours.
All. A tied score, as in "thirty all". Same as tennis.
Americano. A social format where partners and opponents rotate each round. Everyone keeps their own points tally and the top individual scorer wins. Rotation grids for 8, 12 and 16 players are in the Americano vs Mexicano guide.
B
Back wall (fondo). The wall behind each baseline. It's 4m high in total: 3m of glass or solid wall with 1m of metal fence on top.
Bagel. A set won or lost 6-0, named after the shape of the zero. It's a tennis word that padel kept, and the name on our Bagel Boyz range.
Ball (pelota). It looks like a tennis ball, but the FIP rulebook gives it a section of its own.
C
Change of ends (cambio de campo). Pairs swap sides after the 1st, 3rd and every odd game. In a tie-break, swap every 6 points.
Cristal. Glass. The rulebook's word for the glass walls the ball comes back off.
D
Deuce (iguales). 40-40. The Spanish literally means "equals". What happens next depends on which scoring option you're playing.
Drive side. The right-hand side of the court. In Spanish padel talk, drive means the forehand, so the right is often called the drive side.
E
Efecto. Spin, of any kind.
F
Fault (falta de servicio). A serve that breaks the rules. That includes a serve that bounces in the box then hits the metal fence before its second bounce. Fault on a first serve and you get a second one.
FIP (Federación Internacional de Pádel). The International Padel Federation, which writes the rules of padel.
Fridge (nevera). See Nevera.
G
Golden point (punto de oro). At 40-40, one deciding point wins the game. The receiving pair picks which side receives, and they can't swap. The full breakdown is in our golden point guide.
I
Interference (interferencia). Putting off an opponent while they play a shot. If it's accidental, it's a let. If it's deliberate, you lose the point.
K
King of the Court. A multi-court social format. When the whistle goes, the winning pair moves up a court and splits, and the losing pair moves down and splits.
L
Lateral. The side walls. Solid or glass panels sit at each end of the side, with metal fence filling the middle.
Let. The point is replayed. The Spanish rulebook uses the English word too, alongside "repetición". The classic case is a serve that clips the net and lands in the right box.
Love. Zero. Games run love, 15, 30, 40, as in tennis.
LTA Padel. The padel side of the Lawn Tennis Association. Sport England recognised the LTA as padel's national governing body in November 2020.
LTA Padel Rating. A self-rating from 1.0 for beginners up to 7.0 for top professionals. You pick the statement that sounds most like your game.
M
Malla. The metal mesh fence around the court ("malla metálica" in the rulebook). Some balls are live off it and some aren't, which is why it gets argued about.
Mexicano. Like an Americano, but after a random first round, pairings come from a live leaderboard. So you keep meeting players close to your own score.
Moco. A slow, safe push over the net when the point matters and nobody wants to miss.
Muerte súbita. "Sudden death". The Spanish rulebook's name for the tie-break.
N
Net (red). 10m long, 0.88m high in the middle, rising to 0.92m at the ends.
Nevera. "The fridge". Your opponents send every ball to one player and leave the other out in the cold. Expect it if you're the weaker half of the pair.
O
Out-of-court play (juego fuera de la pista). Leaving the court through the side openings to play a ball that has gone out. It's only allowed where the court has the safety area for it. On court you'll hear it called a salida, "exit".
P
Pala. The racket. In everyday Spanish the word also means shovel.
Pareja. The pair. Padel is a doubles game, and the rulebook calls the receivers the pareja restadora.
Pista. The court: 20m by 10m inside the walls. Every measurement, in metres and feet, is in our padel court dimensions guide.
Playtomic level. The number the Playtomic booking app gives you after a one-off questionnaire. It then moves after every competitive match, and open matches are set to a level range. What each band means is in our padel levels explained guide.
R
Resto. The return of serve. The receiver lets it bounce once in their box, then plays it.
Revés side. The left-hand side of the court. Revés is the backhand, and the left is often called the revés side.
S
Saque. The serve. You bounce the ball, then hit it at or below waist height, diagonally into the opposite box.
Service box (recuadro de saque). The box the serve has to land in. Lines count as good.
Shots. Bandeja, víbora, chiquita, bajada, por tres, rulo and the rest have their own page, with the Spanish, the English and where on court each is played: our padel shot names index.
Star Point. A scoring option in the 2026 rules. After two deuces with advantage, a third deuce goes to one deciding point. The receivers pick the side, as on a golden point.
Sunday Padel Club. Not a rule, one of ours. A Padelism original since 2025, for the weekend game. It's on tees, hoodies and sweatshirts in the Sunday Padel Club range.
T
Tie-break. Played at 6-6. Points are called 0, 1, 2, 3. First pair to 7 points with a two-point lead takes the set 7-6.
V
Ventaja. See Advantage.
Z
Zona de seguridad. The safety area outside the court. Out-of-court play depends on it.
After the last point
None of this vocabulary needs special kit. For the walk off court and the drink after, our heavyweight tees include Padel Addict, Padel & Pints and Sunday Padel Club. They're 100% cotton at 305 g/m2, cut oversized, so take your usual size for the loose look or one down for a regular fit. Each is £48, or two for £90, taken off automatically at checkout. They're off-court clothes, not match kit.
FAQ
What is a padel court called in Spanish? A pista. A wall is a pared (cristal when it's glass), the metal fence is malla and the net is la red. The FIP's Spanish rulebook uses all of them.
What does nevera mean in padel? It's Spanish for fridge. It describes a pair hitting everything to one opponent so the other barely touches the ball. It's a tactic, not a rule, and it's fair game.
What's the difference between a let and a fault in padel? A fault is a serve that breaks the rules, so it counts against the server. A let means the serve or point is replayed with no penalty, for example after a net-cord serve that lands in the box or an accidental interference.
Do I need to learn the Spanish words to play padel in the UK? No. The LTA and most UK clubs use English for the rules. The Spanish turns up in coaching, shot names and social chat, so knowing a few words helps you follow what's going on.
