How do you say “Out of the frying pan and into the fire” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is aller de mal en pis, which literally means “to go from bad to worse”. English speakers use out of the frying pan and into the fire to mean from a bad situation into an even worse one. A broader expression for getting worse; it does not itself mean a failed escape. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
aller de mal en pis
/ale də mal ɑ̃ pi/
- Literal meaning
- “to go from bad to worse”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
82 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Aller de mal en pis” gives a clear description of a worsening situation. Unlike the English image, it does not by itself say that an attempted solution caused it.
“Tomber de Charybde en Scylla” keeps that closer meaning. The mythological names make it a more literary choice.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning3 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
tomber de Charybde en Scylla
Literally: “to fall from Charybdis into Scylla”
A closer, more literary match using two dangers from Greek mythology.
In context
English
We changed landlords to escape the damp flat, but went out of the frying pan and into the fire.
French
Nous avons changé de propriétaire pour quitter cet appartement humide, mais les choses sont allées de mal en pis.
English
She changed jobs, only to go out of the frying pan and into the fire.
French
En changeant d'emploi, elle est tombée de Charybde en Scylla.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-19