Spanish vocabulary · Intermediate
How to Say Leak in Spanish: Fuga, Gotera & Filtración
Fuga · noun (feminine) · FOO-gah
Leak in Spanish varies by type: fuga (gas or pipe leak), gotera (roof leak causing drips), and filtración (water seepage through walls or an information leak). The verb to leak is fugar(se) for gas/liquid, gotear for dripping, and filtrarse for seeping or leaking information.
FOO-gah — two syllables, stress on the first. The u is a short rounded vowel, and the g before a is a hard g.
Hay una fuga de agua en la tubería del baño.
There's a water leak in the bathroom pipe.
Leak in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for leak, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| fuga | leak | FOO-gah | Default, widely understood |
| gotera | leak | roof leak / drip | |
| filtración | leak | seepage, information leak |
How Native Speakers Use Fuga
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Gas leak
Llamaron a los bomberos por una fuga de gas.
They called the firefighters because of a gas leak.
Fuga de gas is the standard emergency term used across all Spanish-speaking countries.
Roof leak
Cada vez que llueve aparecen goteras en el techo.
Every time it rains, leaks appear in the ceiling.
Goteras (plural) are the drips that come through a damaged roof.
Information leak
Hubo una filtración de documentos confidenciales.
There was a leak of confidential documents.
Filtración is used for information leaks in journalism and politics.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Fuga
Using fuga for a roof drip
Incorrect: Tengo una fuga en el techo.
Correct: Tengo una gotera en el techo.
Fuga refers to pressurized leaks (gas, pipes). A roof drip is a gotera — caused by water seeping through, not pressure.
Confusing gotear with gotera
Incorrect: El grifo tiene una gotera.
Correct: El grifo gotea. / El grifo tiene un goteo.
Gotera is specifically a roof leak. A dripping faucet uses the verb gotear or the noun goteo.
Lock in Leak Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Fuga used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using fuga in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Hay una fuga de agua en la tubería del baño. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Leak in Spanish
- How do you say leak in Spanish?
- It depends on the type: fuga (pipe or gas leak), gotera (roof leak), filtración (seepage or information leak). Each has a distinct use case.
- How do you say the pipe is leaking in Spanish?
- Say la tubería tiene una fuga or la tubería está fugando. For a slow drip, se está goteando la tubería also works.
- What verb means to leak in Spanish?
- Fugarse (gas/liquid escaping under pressure), gotear (to drip), and filtrarse (to seep or leak information). The choice depends on what's leaking and how.