How do you say “Put your foot in your mouth” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is ins Fettnäpfchen treten, which literally means “to step into the little pot of fat”. English speakers use put your foot in your mouth to mean to accidentally say something that embarrasses you or upsets someone else. It covers awkward actions too, not only things you say. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
ins Fettnäpfchen treten
/ɪns ˈfɛtˌnɛpfçən ˈtʁeːtn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to step into the little pot of fat”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German pictures stepping into a little pot of fat. The mistake can be a tactless remark or an awkward action; it needn't be deliberate or insulting.
“Ich bin ins Fettnäpfchen getreten” means you've made the mistake. If you accidentally gave away a secret, “sich verplappern” is more precise.
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 German?
sich verplappern
Literally: “to blurt something out”
Use when the mistake is revealing something unintentionally.
etwas Unpassendes sagen
Literally: “to say something inappropriate”
A plain description without the humorous image.
In context
English
I put my foot in my mouth by asking about the job she'd just lost.
German
Ich bin ins Fettnäpfchen getreten, als ich nach der Stelle fragte, die sie gerade verloren hatte.
English
He put his foot in his mouth again by mentioning her ex.
German
Er ist wieder ins Fettnäpfchen getreten, als er ihren Ex erwähnt hat.
Related expressions
- What “Put your foot in your mouth” means in English
- Spill the beans, To give away a secret.
Last updated 2026-09-16