How do you say “A pipe dream” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is un sueño imposible, which literally means “an impossible dream”. English speakers use a pipe dream to mean a hope or plan that is very unlikely to come true. A clear Spanish match, though “impossible” can sound more final than the English judgement of unlikely success. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
un sueño imposible
/un ˈsweɲo impoˈsiβle/
- Literal meaning
- “an impossible dream”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
89 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Parecía un sueño imposible” leaves room for the situation to change. That is useful when telling a story about an ambition that later succeeds.
“Un plan poco realista” is more measured when you mean impractical rather than impossible. Choose it if you want to question the plan without dismissing the dream.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
With our tiny budget, opening a cinema seemed like a pipe dream.
Spanish
Con nuestro pequeño presupuesto, abrir un cine parecía un sueño imposible.
English
They called her idea a pipe dream, but she made it happen.
Spanish
Decían que su idea era un sueño imposible, pero ella la hizo realidad.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04