Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«No hay peor sordo que el que no quiere oír.»
Word for word
There is no worse deaf person than the one who does not want to hear.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: None so deaf as those who will not hear.
Used when someone deliberately ignores advice, warnings, or reason. It parallels the saying about the blind and is widely used in Spain and Latin America.
Hear it in a sentence
Le advertí mil veces, pero no hay peor sordo que el que no quiere oír.
I warned him a thousand times, but there's none so deaf as those who will not hear.
More Spanish sayings
- No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver. — None so blind as those who will not see.
- A palabras necias, oídos sordos. — Turn a deaf ear to foolish words.
- Quien no oye consejo, no llega a viejo. — He who won't be advised is beyond help.
- De los errores se aprende. — You learn from your mistakes.
- Cuando las barbas de tu vecino veas cortar, pon las tuyas a remojar. — Learn from others' mistakes before they happen to you.
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.