How do you say “Spill the beans” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is Aus dem Nähkästchen plaudern, which literally means “To chat out of the little sewing box”. English speakers use spill the beans to mean to reveal information that was supposed to stay secret. Natural and charming, but narrower: it means happily sharing private details, not necessarily breaking a confidence. It is informal and occasional in everyday German.
Closest natural German
Aus dem Nähkästchen plaudern
/aʊs deːm ˈnɛːkɛstçən ˈplaʊdɐn/
- Literal meaning
- “To chat out of the little sewing box”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- occasional
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
75 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
This is a close but not exact equivalent. "Aus dem Nähkästchen plaudern" is about someone willingly sharing inside details, memories, gossip, behind-the-scenes stories, with an affectionate, chatty tone.
If the point is that a specific secret got out, "die Katze aus dem Sack lassen" is the better choice.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context3 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in German?
Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen
Literally: “To let the cat out of the bag”
Use this when the secret is a specific fact being revealed, especially a surprise.
Ein Geheimnis ausplaudern
Literally: “To blab a secret”
Plain and unambiguous when you need to be clear.
Alles ausquatschen
Literally: “To talk everything out”
Very colloquial, mildly disapproving.
Don't translate it literally
Die Bohnen verschütten
The literal version means spilling actual beans on the floor. No German speaker will understand it as revealing a secret.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in German, not as expressions.
In context
English
Go on, spill the beans!
German
Los, plauder mal aus dem Nähkästchen!
English
He spilled the beans about the merger.
German
Er hat die Katze aus dem Sack gelassen und von der Fusion erzählt.
Related expressions
- What “Spill the beans” means in English
- Let the cat out of the bag, To accidentally reveal a secret.
Last reviewed 2026-09-11