engañar
verbCEFR B2
What does “engañar” mean in English?
1.to deceive, to mislead
to deceive, to mislead (to intentionally create a false belief; engañar a alguien — more intentional register)
2.to deceive, to cheat
to deceive, to cheat (to create a false impression or trick someone; engañar a alguien)
Example sentences
Las marcas que publican estadísticas seleccionadas para engañar al consumidor pueden enfrentarse a sanciones legales.
Brands that publish selective statistics to deceive the consumer can face legal sanctions.
No te engañes: la situación es más grave de lo que los datos oficiales sugieren.
Don't fool yourself: the situation is more serious than the official data suggests.
El fraude se diseñó para engañar incluso a los inversores más experimentados.
The fraud was designed to deceive even the most experienced investors.
How to use it
Engañar means 'to deceive', 'to cheat', or 'to trick'. It is the general verb for deception: engañar a alguien (deceive someone), engañarse a uno mismo (deceive oneself). The reflexive engañarse means 'to be mistaken' or 'to fool oneself'. At B2, key contexts include: advertising/commercial deception (publicidad engañosa), infidelity (engañar a la pareja), and political deception. Key contrast with mentir: mentir is to tell a specific lie; engañar is to create a false impression, which can happen without explicit lies.
Common mistake
Engañar (create false impression) vs. mentir (tell a lie): you can engañar someone without mentir — by omission, selective truth, or misleading framing. In colloquial Spanish, engañar a la pareja (to cheat on one's partner) is the standard phrase — not the sexual infidelity sense of English 'cheat', though the meaning is the same. Don't confuse with traicionar (to betray — implies a deeper breach of trust, often in friendship or loyalty).