How do you say “Chicken out” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is rajarse, which literally means “to split or crack”. English speakers use chicken out to mean to back out because you are afraid. An informal Spanish equivalent for backing out. The context needs to show fear rather than just a change of plan. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
rajarse
/raˈxaɾse/
- Literal meaning
- “to split or crack”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
93 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Me rajé en el último momento” admits that you backed out at the last moment. It can be a self-mocking way to tell the story.
To make the fear explicit, “no me atreví” means I did not dare. That is useful when “rajarse” could sound like simply breaking a promise.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I reached the roller coaster, looked up and chickened out.
Spanish
Llegué a la montaña rusa, miré hacia arriba y me rajé.
English
She wanted to ask him to dance but chickened out at the last moment.
Spanish
Quería invitarlo a bailar, pero se rajó en el último momento.
Related expressions
- What “Chicken out” means in English
- Get cold feet, To become nervous and back out.
Last updated 2026-10-01