How do you say “Leave no stone unturned” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Agotar todas las posibilidades, which literally means “To exhaust all the possibilities”. English speakers use leave no stone unturned to mean to try every possible method or look in every place to solve a problem or find something. Natural wording for trying every possible route to a result. It is more direct than the English search image and works for investigations or attempts to solve a problem. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Agotar todas las posibilidades
/aɡoˈtaɾ ˈtodas las posibiliˈdades/
- Literal meaning
- “To exhaust all the possibilities”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
93 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
English imagines turning over every stone in a search. Spanish describes using every possibility until none remain.
Both promise a thorough effort. The Spanish is less vivid, but it keeps the focus on trying every route rather than simply tidying up unfinished details.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Buscar por todas partes
Literally: “To search through all parts”
Use for looking everywhere for a missing object or person.
No dejar ningún cabo suelto
Literally: “To leave no loose end”
Focuses on checking every detail, rather than trying every possible method.
Common translation traps
No dejar piedra sobre piedra
This Spanish expression means destroying something completely, not searching thoroughly.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
The investigators left no stone unturned to find her.
Spanish
Los investigadores agotaron todas las posibilidades para encontrarla.
English
We will leave no stone unturned to find a solution.
Spanish
Agotaremos todas las posibilidades para encontrar una solución.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-13