How do you say “Pull the wool over someone's eyes” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is engañar a alguien, which literally means “to deceive someone”. English speakers use pull the wool over someone's eyes to mean to deceive someone by keeping them from recognising the truth. This plain verb is a dependable choice for serious deception rather than teasing. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
engañar a alguien
/eŋɡaˈɲaɾ a ˈalɣjen/
- Literal meaning
- “to deceive someone”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
89 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Engañar” keeps the broad meaning of making someone believe something untrue. It works without specifying a particular kind of trick.
Use “dar gato por liebre” for passing off a substitute as the real thing, or “vender humo” for empty promises. “Tomar el pelo” can sound like teasing, which may weaken a serious accusation.
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?
dar gato por liebre
Literally: “to give cat instead of hare”
Use for passing off an inferior or different thing as the promised one.
vender humo
Literally: “to sell smoke”
Use for empty promises or an impressive presentation with little substance.
Common translation traps
tomarle el pelo a alguien
This can mean teasing or making fun of someone. For a serious lie, “engañar” is a clearer choice.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
You can't pull the wool over her eyes with fake figures.
Spanish
No puedes engañarla con cifras falsas.
English
Those grand promises are just an attempt to pull the wool over our eyes.
Spanish
Con esas grandes promesas solo intentan engañarnos.
Related expressions
- What “Pull the wool over someone's eyes” means in English
- Pull someone's leg, To tease someone playfully.
- Take it with a pinch of salt, To treat a claim with mild scepticism.
Last updated 2026-09-16