How do you say “Add fuel to the fire” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Echar leña al fuego, which literally means “To throw firewood onto the fire”. English speakers use add fuel to the fire to mean to make a bad situation or an argument worse. An established expression for making an existing conflict or problem worse. Register: neutral, informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Echar leña al fuego
/eˈtʃaɾ ˈleɲa al ˈfweɣo/
- Literal meaning
- “To throw firewood onto the fire”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
97 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
Spanish feeds the fire with wood, while English leaves the fuel unspecified. Both assume that the trouble has already started.
Both work as a warning or criticism in conversations about arguments, rumours or public disputes.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity4 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Avivar el fuego
Literally: “To enliven the fire”
Keeps the fire image and can sound more written.
Empeorar las cosas
Literally: “To worsen things”
A direct option without an idiom.
Common translation traps
Añadir combustible al incendio
Understandable imagery, but echar leña al fuego is the established everyday expression.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
That comment only added fuel to the fire.
Spanish
Ese comentario solo echó leña al fuego.
English
Do not add fuel to the fire by replying now.
Spanish
No eches leña al fuego respondiendo ahora.
Related expressions
- What “Add fuel to the fire” means in English
- Walking on eggshells, Acting very cautiously around someone.
- The elephant in the room, An obvious issue nobody mentions.
Last updated 2026-09-13