How do you say “Let the cat out of the bag” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Írsele la lengua a alguien, which literally means “For the tongue to get away from someone”. English speakers use let the cat out of the bag to mean to reveal a secret, usually by accident. An established expression for saying something unintentionally. Use the person’s pronoun: “se me fue la lengua” or “se le fue la lengua”. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Írsele la lengua a alguien
/ˈiɾsele la ˈleŋɡwa a ˈalɡjen/
- Literal meaning
- “For the tongue to get away from someone”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
Spanish gives the slip to the tongue rather than letting an animal escape. The person loses control of what they say.
It suits an accidental revelation particularly well. It can also cover an unintended remark that is not a secret, so name the disclosure when that matters.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 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?
Revelar el secreto sin querer
Literally: “To reveal the secret without wanting to”
Plain wording that makes accidental disclosure explicit.
Irse de la lengua
Literally: “To go away from the tongue”
Says that someone disclosed what should have stayed quiet; the accidental aspect is less explicit.
Common translation traps
Sacar el gato de la bolsa
This describes taking a cat out of a bag rather than accidentally revealing a secret.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
I let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Spanish
Se me fue la lengua y conté lo de la fiesta sorpresa.
English
He let the cat out of the bag before we could stop him.
Spanish
Se le fue la lengua antes de que pudiéramos pararlo.
Related expressions
- What “Let the cat out of the bag” means in English
- Spill the beans, To give away a secret.
Last updated 2026-09-13