THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
Spill the beans
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
To reveal a secret or disclose confidential information—often unintentionally.
Usage note: keep in mind
The secret may be revealed deliberately or accidentally; the context tells you which.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- Don’t spill the beans about the promotion—I haven’t told anyone yet!
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
Try the two questions without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.
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Review the meaning
To reveal a secret or disclose confidential information—often unintentionally.
2. Can you recall the expression?
Complete the example using the expression from this lesson.
Don’t ________ about the promotion—I haven’t told anyone yet!
Show the answer
Spill the beans — To reveal a secret or disclose confidential information—often unintentionally.
Try your own sentence (optional)
Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Spill the beans” about your own life.
Check your sentence
Does your sentence match this meaning?
To reveal a secret or disclose confidential information—often unintentionally.
Compare: Don’t spill the beans about the promotion—I haven’t told anyone yet!
Check the spelling and how the expression fits the sentence. Your example can be different.
Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.
This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.
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More ways to understand and use it
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How to use this expression
Use this informal expression for revealing information that was meant to stay secret. The disclosure can be accidental or deliberate. Keep “the beans”; replacing it with a different food loses the established expression.
More examples
I almost spilled the beans about the surprise visit.
Who spilled the beans about our new project?
Check your understanding
Does the phrase always mean that the secret was revealed accidentally?
Answer: No. Someone can spill the beans on purpose or by mistake.
Was the information still a secret?
The class is planning a surprise farewell. During a call, Noor tells the guest of honour about the decorations and gifts. A classmate says, “You spilled the beans!”
Think it through: Would the same phrase fit simply repeating the official announcement the next day?
Check the explanation
Usually not in this situation: the announcement has already made the information public. Noor revealed a secret before it was meant to be known. The phrase can describe an accidental disclosure as well as a deliberate one; it does not establish intent by itself.
Your turn: Report what Noor did in one past-tense sentence.
Compare expressions: Secrets, silence and ignoring problems
Keeping quiet does not always mean ignoring a problem. Compare an instruction to stop talking, revealing a secret and deliberately overlooking something wrong.
Try the situation question and check your answer →