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Polish · The Essential Ten

spoko

SPOH-koh · /ˈspɔ.kɔ/

Chill / no worries / it's fine — the great Polish de-escalator.

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"(clipped from 'spokojnie' — calmly)"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

Clipped from spokojnie (calmly), spoko is the Swiss-army chill word: "spoko" = no problem; "spoko, spoko" with palms down = easy, calm down; "spoko gość" = a decent, easygoing guy. As a de-escalator it actually works, unlike most languages' "calm down" — it reassures rather than provokes. Grandma-safe, though heavily casual; in a formal setting say "w porządku" (all right) instead. The younger upgrade is "luz" (looseness) — "na luzie," take it easy.

Heard in the wild

Spoko, spoko, nic się nie stało.

Easy, easy — no harm done.

Where it lands

Poland (universal); casual register

Quick answers

What does "spoko" mean?
In Polish, "spoko" means "Chill / no worries / it's fine — the great Polish de-escalator.". Literally it's "(clipped from 'spokojnie' — calmly)". Clipped from spokojnie (calmly), spoko is the Swiss-army chill word: "spoko" = no problem; "spoko, spoko" with palms down = easy, calm down; "spoko gość" = a decent, easygoing guy. As a de-escalator it actually works, unlike most languages' "calm down" — it reassures rather than provokes. Grandma-safe, though heavily casual; in a formal setting say "w porządku" (all right) instead. The younger upgrade is "luz" (looseness) — "na luzie," take it easy.
Is "spoko" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
How do you pronounce "spoko"?
Say it "SPOH-koh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈspɔ.kɔ.

Related in Polish

kurwa KOOR-vah Fuck / damn / shit — the load-bearing word of Polish, and its most common comma. cholera kho-LEH-rah Damn / darn it — the respectable person's curse. kurde KOOR-deh Darn / crap — kurwa with the fuse removed. kurczę KOOR-cheh Shoot / darn — the softest rung of the euphemism ladder. no co ty! noh TSOH tih No way! / Come on! / You can't be serious. masakra mah-SAHK-rah A disaster / unbelievable / total carnage — the all-purpose 'this is insane.'

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Calm down".

how to say "Calm down" →

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