excarcelar
/eɡskaɾθeˈlaɾ/
The English verb 'to bail' (to secure the release of an arrested person) is translated into Spanish as excarcelar. If unsure, use excarcelar. Wiktionary also lists desencarcelar.
Meaning: to secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| excarcelar | /eɡskaɾθeˈlaɾ/ /eɡskaɾseˈlaɾ/ |
| desencarcelar | /desenkaɾθelaɾ/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /desenkaɾselaɾ/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
The verbs excarcelar and desencarcelar are used to describe the act of releasing someone from prison. If you are referring to the specific money or bond paid to secure a person's release, use the noun fianza. To describe the legal status of being out on bail, use the phrase libertad bajo fianza.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the term caución is frequently used in legal contexts to refer to bail. In Mexico, fianza is commonly used for bail in both formal and informal contexts.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/eɡskaɾθeˈlaɾ/
Did you know?
- While excarcelar focuses on the act of leaving, the word fianza is related to the concept of 'faith' or 'trust' (fiar), implying that the court trusts the person to return.
- While excarcelar means to release from jail, the verb desencarcelar is often used in political journalism to describe the release of political prisoners.
- The root word cárcel in excarcelar is a linguistic cousin of the English word 'carceral' and shares the same Latin origin as 'carcer'.
Examples in context
- El acusado pagó una fianza de 10,000 dólaresThe defendant paid a bail of $10,000
- Se le impuso una caución de 2,000 eurosHe was ordered to pay a bail of 2,000 euros
- Su familia logró sacarlo en libertadHis family managed to bail him out
- El juez decidió excarcelar al detenido.The judge decided to bail out the detainee.
- Necesitamos dinero para excarcelar a mi hermano.We need money to bail out my brother.
- Es difícil excarcelar a alguien sin un abogado.It is difficult to bail someone out without a lawyer.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are discussing a family member's legal situation in a living room.
- Javier¿Crees que podemos excarcelar a Carlos pronto?Do you think we can bail Carlos out soon?
- LucíaNo lo sé, el proceso es muy lento.I don't know, the process is very slow.
- JavierÉl necesita que lo ayudemos con la fianza.He needs us to help him with the bail.
- LucíaLo intentaremos, pero no prometo nada.We will try, but I'm not promising anything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bail” translations and entries excarcelar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
