Un bulo is one of several ways of referring to a lie (usually called una mentira in Spanish), but in recent times in Spain it’s used almost exclusively to refer to fake news that appears online.
Bulo used to be one of the lesser-used ways of referring to a lie, along with users such as falsedad, infundio, patraña, trola, falacia or bola that Spaniards would only occasionally include in conversation.
But as Spain’s Cervantes Institute pointed out in an article in 2020, it’s been “revived” and is now the primary way of talking about noticias falsas or desinformación – fake news.
Interestingly, Spaniards are just as likely to use the English words ‘fake news’ as they are to say bulo.
Although desinformación and noticias falsas are more formal ways of referring to disinformation or fake news, bulo can be used in all social contexts in Spain.
Everyone uses it, even the Prime Minister. When Pedro Sánchez’s wife was recently accused of corruption, he said “Todo es un bulo” (It’s all fake news).
Bulo is a word that’s all over the Spanish press, not surprising at a time when fake news is rife.
You may see references such as un bulo viral to talk about fake news that’s gone viral, and any hoax or unfounded rumour can also be called un bulo.
There are even websites in Spain such as Newtral and Maldita that specialise in debunking fake news, which in Spanish is called desmentir bulos or desmontar bulos.
As for bulo’s etymology, linguists believe it originates from the Caló language of Spain’s native gipsy population and the word bul – meaning rubbish – which seems rather appropriate when talking about fake news.
It’s also not too distant from the English bull (load of bull) or bullshit.
READ ALSO: How to call bullshit in Spanish
Examples with the word bulo:
Me lo ha colado, me he creído el bulo.
I fell for it, I believed the fake news.
Es un partido fascista cuya campaña está basada en bulos sobre inmigrantes.
They’re a fascist party whose campaign is based on fake news about immigrants.
No me lo creo, seguro que es un bulo.
I don’t believe it, I bet it’s fake news.
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