Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«El que ríe último, ríe mejor.»
Word for word
He who laughs last, laughs best.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: He who laughs last laughs best.
A quiet warning to early gloaters: the final outcome is what counts.
Also said as
- El que ríe al último, ríe mejor.
- Quien ríe último, ríe mejor.
Hear it in a sentence
Se burlaron de su proyecto y ahora es un gran éxito: el que ríe último, ríe mejor.
They mocked her project and now it’s a huge success — he who laughs last laughs best.
More Spanish sayings
- Hablando del rey de Roma, por la puerta asoma. — Speak of the devil.
- En boca cerrada no entran moscas. — Silence is golden — flies don’t enter a closed mouth.
- Hay que darle tiempo al tiempo. — Give it time; be patient.
- Al freír será el reír. — We'll laugh when we see the results.
- No vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo. — Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your level.