How do you say “By the skin of your teeth” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Por los pelos, which literally means “By the hairs”. English speakers use by the skin of your teeth to mean you succeed in doing something or avoid danger with almost no room or time left. An established informal expression for narrowly succeeding or escaping trouble. Register: neutral, informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Por los pelos
/poɾ los ˈpelos/
- Literal meaning
- “By the hairs”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
96 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
English imagines an impossibly thin skin on teeth. Spanish uses the thinness of hairs. Both describe a tiny margin.
Both work well in relieved stories after a close call. The Spanish phrase is casual and can sound dramatic without implying actual danger.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Por muy poco
Literally: “By very little”
Neutral wording for a tiny margin.
De milagro
Literally: “By miracle”
More dramatic, suggesting surprising luck.
Common translation traps
Por la piel de tus dientes
The unusual English tooth image does not form the Spanish idiom.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
We caught the train by the skin of our teeth.
Spanish
Alcanzamos el tren por los pelos.
English
I passed the exam by the skin of my teeth.
Spanish
Aprobé el examen por los pelos.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-13