How do you say “Bucket list” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is lista de cosas que hacer antes de morir, which literally means “list of things to do before dying”. English speakers use bucket list to mean a list of things you hope to do in your lifetime. This spells out the lifetime idea and sounds more direct about death than “bucket list”. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: occasional.
Closest natural Spanish
lista de cosas que hacer antes de morir
/ˈlista ðe ˈkosas ke aˈseɾ ˈantes ðe moˈɾiɾ/
- Literal meaning
- “list of things to do before dying”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- occasional
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
93 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
Use this wording when you want the full idea to be understood without an English loanword. After introducing it, you can shorten it to “mi lista”.
“Lista de deseos” means wish list and is broader. Add the lifetime detail when you need to distinguish experiences from birthday presents.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone3 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
Seeing the northern lights has always been on my bucket list.
Spanish
Ver las auroras boreales siempre ha estado en mi lista de cosas que hacer antes de morir.
English
Learning to swim was the first thing I crossed off my bucket list.
Spanish
Aprender a nadar fue lo primero que taché de mi lista de cosas que hacer antes de morir.
Related expressions
- What “Bucket list” means in English
- Kick the bucket, Die, said jokingly or bluntly.
Last updated 2026-11-04