apagón
/apaˈɡon/masculine
The English phrase 'blackout' is translated into Spanish as apagón.
apagón is used to describe a large-scale power failure. This term can be applied literally to electrical power failures or metaphorically to digital or information blackouts.
Meaning: a large-scale power failure (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word apagón is a compound of the verb apagar, meaning to turn off or extinguish and the suffix -ón, which forms a noun indicating a large or intense action.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the phrase corte de luz is commonly used to refer to a power blackout.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of apagón is apagones.
How do you pronounce it?
/apaˈɡon/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, apagón is used metaphorically to describe a total loss of memory or a 'blank' during an exam or speech.
- The noun apagón is formed using an augmentative suffix, which makes the word literally translate to a 'big turn-off'.
- In political discourse across the Spanish-speaking world, apagón informativo describes a deliberate government effort to block news and communication.
Examples in context
- El ministro de energía se referirá al apagón de ayer.The Minister of Energy will refer to yesterday's blackout.This sentence shows how to refer to a specific apagón in a political context.Tatoeba #1128776 by marcelostockle, translation #1128780 by marcelostockle
- el apagón de la Wikipedia en inglés en 2012The 2012 English Wikipedia blackoutThis sentence illustrates the use of apagón in a digital context regarding Wikipedia.
- Durante el apagón, estuvimos sin electricidad durante varias horas.During the blackout, we were without electricity for several hours.
- Tuve una pérdida de memoria y no puedo recordar lo que sucedió anoche.I had a blackout, and I can't remember what happened last night.
- La señora tuvo un desmayo repentino y cayó al suelo.The lady had a sudden blackout and fell to the ground.
- Me quedé en blanco y no pude recordar lo que debía decir durante la entrevista.I had a blackout and couldn't remember what I was supposed to say during the interview.
- Juan sufrió un desvanecimiento repentino mientras caminaba por la calle.Juan had a sudden blackout while walking down the street.
- Hubo un apagón de tres horas anoche.There was a three-hour blackout last night.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking about why the internet stopped working.
- SofíaDaniel, ¿sabes por qué no hay luz?Daniel, do you know why there is no power?
- DanielSí, parece que hay un apagón en el barrio.Yes, it looks like there is a blackout in the neighborhood.
- SofíaQué mal, no puedo terminar mi trabajo.That's too bad, I can't finish my work.
- DanielBusquemos las velas en la cocina, Sofía.Let's look for the candles in the kitchen, Sofía.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blackout” translations and entries apagón, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries apagón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
