Vocabulario básico de la piscina en español

What does “bañador” mean in Spain?

Bañador is the everyday word for a swimsuit or swimming trunks in Spain — built right off bañarse (to bathe/swim). On a beach in Barcelona you’ll hear bañador far more than traje de baño. That makes it a clean regional tell: most of Latin America defaults to traje de baño, so reaching for bañador marks your Spanish as Peninsular.

The regional map is worth knowing: Argentina and Uruguay say malla, Mexico often maya, Colombia vestido de baño, while traje de baño is the safe pan-American default. Same pool, more vocabulary from the clip: socorrista / salvavidas (lifeguard), vestuarios (changing rooms), crema solar (sunscreen) and toalla (towel).