How do you say “A dead ringer” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is ser el vivo retrato de alguien, which literally means “to be someone’s living portrait”. English speakers use a dead ringer to mean someone or something that looks almost exactly like another. A close Spanish expression for looking very much like another person. It does not require a family relationship. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
ser el vivo retrato de alguien
/seɾ el ˈβiβo reˈtɾato ðe ˈalɣjen/
- Literal meaning
- “to be someone’s living portrait”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Es el vivo retrato de su padre” stresses the likeness, rather than saying there is a real portrait. The adjective “vivo” agrees with “retrato”.
The phrase is most useful for people. For an object, “es idéntico a” states the resemblance more directly.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
With that haircut, Maya is a dead ringer for her aunt.
Spanish
Con ese corte de pelo, Maya es el vivo retrato de su tía.
English
The actor was a dead ringer for our old maths teacher.
Spanish
El actor era el vivo retrato de nuestro antiguo profesor de matemáticas.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13