Meaning & use
pretty please
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalhumorous
A playful, emphatic way of asking for something, used especially by or to children to make a request sound more pleading.
Grammar: Used as a sentence by itself or added after a request; it does not change form.
Patterns
- Can I have something, pretty please?
- pretty please with sugar on top
Can I have one more cookie, pretty please?
Pretty please, can you drive me to the airport?
She looked at her father and said, 'Pretty please with sugar on top?'
Common combinations
- pretty please with sugar on top
- I'll do the dishes for a week — pretty please with sugar on top?
- say pretty please
- If you want a favor, you'd better say pretty please.
- ask pretty please
- He asked pretty please, but his sister still said no.
Synonyms and how they differ
- please
- Please is the neutral, everyday word; pretty please is more playful and emphatic, and can sound childish.
- I beg you
- I beg you is much stronger and more serious; pretty please is light and often humorous.
Commonly confused: pretty please or pretty?
pretty please vs pretty
Pretty alone means 'attractive' or 'fairly'; pretty please is a fixed phrase used only for polite, playful requests.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pretty please' in the most natural way?
Choose one answer.
'Pretty please' is a fixed phrase used to make a request more pleading, so it fits in a question like 'Can I go, pretty please?'. The other options treat it as an adjective or adverb, which is not how the phrase works.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pretty please”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.