Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| engañar | /enɡaˈɲaɾ/ | |
| decebir | /deθeˈbiɾ/ /deseˈbiɾ/ |
|
| meter la yuca | /meteɾ la ʝuka/ (from spelling rules) | |
| meter el dedo | /meteɾ el dedo/ (from spelling rules) | |
| descrestar | /deskɾestaɾ/ (from spelling rules) | |
| engrupir | /enɡɾuˈpiɾ/ | |
| engatar | /enɡataɾ/ (from spelling rules) | |
| paquear | /pakeaɾ/ (from spelling rules) | |
| embaucar | /embauˈkaɾ/ | |
| embelecar | /embeleˈkaɾ/ | |
| entuturutar | /entutuɾuˈtaɾ/ | |
| entucar | /entukaɾ/ (from spelling rules) | Ecuador |
The verb refers to the act of tricking or misleading someone. While engañar is the standard and neutral way to express this, other terms exist depending on the method of deception. For example, engatusar is an informal way to describe deceiving someone using charm or cunning and embaucar is often used when the deception involves bamboozling someone with clever or deceptive words.
Which one should you use?
While engañar is the standard, neutral verb for 'to deceive', many other forms in this language are colloquial, regional or idiomatic.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal, legal or financial contexts, you may use fraudar to mean deceive. In contrast, several other forms are more casual: engrupir is a colloquial verb used to describe deceiving someone through flattery or smooth-talking and embaucar is a colloquial term for bamboozling. Engatusar is also an informal way to describe deception through charm.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Ecuador, the term entucar is a regionalism used to mean deceiving or tricking someone. Additionally, embaucar is used more frequently in Spain than in Latin America.
How do you pronounce it?
/enɡaˈɲaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using decebir. This is a common spelling error or a false cognate attempt. The correct standard verb is engañar.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- No lo engañaría por nada del mundo.Nothing would tempt me to deceive him.This example shows how to express the idea that nothing would tempt you to use engañar on someone.Tatoeba #1004391 by ulymarrero, translation #36792 by CH
- No deberías engañar a tus compañeros.You shouldn't deceive your colleagues.This sentence uses engañar to advise against deceiving colleagues.Tatoeba #1701816 by teskmon, translation #1341433 by CM
- Sami trazó un plan para engañar a su esposa.Sami hatched a plan to deceive his wife.This sentence describes a plan created to engañar a spouse.Tatoeba #7872255 by emigonza, translation #6704363 by OsoHombre
- El político engañó a la gente con promesas vacías.The politician deceived the people with empty promises.
- El estafador intentó fraudar a los inversionistas con un esquema piramidal.The scammer tried to deceive the investors with a pyramid scheme.
- El vendedor embaucó al cliente haciéndole creer que el producto era único.The salesman deceived the customer by making them believe that the product was unique.
- María engatusó a Juan para que le prestara dinero.María charmed Juan into lending her money.
- Me timaron con un producto falso en la feria.I was deceived with a fake product at the fair.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are discussing a dishonest salesman.
- SofíaEse vendedor intentó engañar a Daniel.That salesman tried to deceive Daniel.
- DanielMenos mal que no lo logró.Luckily, he didn't succeed.
- SofíaEs muy difícil engañar a alguien tan listo.It is very hard to deceive someone so smart.
- DanielTienes toda la razón, Sofía.You are absolutely right, Sofía.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “deceive” translations and entries engañar, decebir, meter la yuca, meter el dedo, descrestar, engrupir, engatar, paquear, embaucar, embelecar, entuturutar, entucar, 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries decebir, dedo, el, engañar, la, meter, yuca, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
