Usage Note
Pesadilla is the standard word for a bad dream, from pesar ('to weigh', 'to burden') — literally a 'little heavy thing'. Figuratively, any situation that is very difficult or distressing can be called a pesadilla: el tráfico fue una pesadilla ('the traffic was a nightmare'). It is always feminine. The adjective pesado ('heavy', 'tedious') shares the root but has no direct nightmare connotation on its own.
Examples
"Tuve una pesadilla y no pude dormir bien."
Natural Translation
I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep well.
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