flujo de lodo
/fluxo de lodo/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English word mudslide is translated into Spanish as flujo de lodo. Wiktionary also lists huaico and guaico.
Meaning: geological disaster in which a large amount of mud gathers and moves rapidly down a hill or slope (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| flujo de lodo | /fluxo de lodo/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| huaico | /ˈw̝aiko/ | masculine |
| guaico | /ɡwaiko/ (from spelling rules) | Peru, masculine |
| huayco | /waiko/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| aluvión | /aluˈbjon/ | masculine |
A mudslide is a geological disaster where a large amount of mud gathers and moves rapidly down a hill or slope.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase flujo de lodo is a literal translation consisting of flujo (flow) and lodo (mud).
Which one should you use?
While flujo de lodo provides a general description, aluvión is often used to describe a more massive and destructive movement of water, mud and debris.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Peru, the terms huayco, huaico and guaico are used to describe a mudslide or debris flow caused by heavy rains.
How does it change in a sentence?
All the forms provided in this entry are masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- The words flujo and flojo are doublets, meaning they both evolved from the same Latin ancestor fluxus despite having completely different meanings today.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, aluvión is used metaphorically to describe a sudden, overwhelming arrival of things, such as un aluvión de críticas for 'a flood of criticism'.
- In legal contexts, aluvión refers to the specific process where land area increases naturally through the action of water deposits.
Examples in context
- Durante la fuerte lluvia, ocurrió un deslizamiento de tierra cerca del pueblo.During the heavy rain, a mudslide occurred near the town.
- Tuvimos suerte de escapar del alud de barro sin ningún daño.We were lucky to escape the mudslide without any harm.
- El flujo de lodo bloqueó la carretera principal.The mudslide blocked the main highway.
- Tuvieron que evacuar la zona por un flujo de lodo.They had to evacuate the area because of a mudslide.
- Ese flujo de lodo fue muy destructivo.That mudslide was very destructive.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are looking at the news on TV.
- ElenaMira Daniel, hubo un flujo de lodo en la costa.Look Daniel, there was a mudslide on the coast.
- DanielQué terrible, ¿está mucha gente atrapada?How terrible, are many people trapped?
- ElenaNo lo dicen, pero el daño es muy grave.They don't say, but the damage is very serious.
- DanielEspero que los rescatistas lleguen pronto.I hope the rescuers arrive soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mudslide” translations and entries huaico, aluvión, 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 de, flujo, huaico, lodo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
