How do you say “A brain fart” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is quedarse en blanco, which literally means “to be left blank”. English speakers use a brain fart to mean a brief lapse in memory, attention or judgement. A natural Spanish choice when your mind briefly goes blank. It loses the crude humour and is narrower than a general mistake. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
quedarse en blanco
/keˈðaɾse em ˈblaŋko/
- Literal meaning
- “to be left blank”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
83 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Me quedé en blanco” explains why a familiar name or answer suddenly would not come. It works in a conversation or an exam.
For a mistake in a calculation, “me equivoqué” means I made a mistake. Use that when the problem is a slip rather than being unable to remember something.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone3 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I had a brain fart and forgot my own postcode at the counter.
Spanish
Me quedé en blanco y olvidé mi propio código postal en la ventanilla.
English
Sorry, I had a brain fart and added the same number twice.
Spanish
Perdona, me equivoqué y sumé el mismo número dos veces.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01