Meaning & use
take a wild guess
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
To guess at an answer with no information to rely on, simply hoping to be right.
Grammar: Literal sense: take a wild guess at the answer.
Patterns
- take a wild guess at something
- take a wild guess about something
I had no clue, so I took a wild guess and said ten o'clock.
If you take a wild guess, how many jelly beans are in the jar?
He took a wild guess at her age and was off by ten years.
phrasefixed phraseinformalhumorous
Said sarcastically to show that the answer is obvious and the person asking should work it out easily.
Grammar: Often used as an imperative: Take a wild guess! The answer is plain.
Patterns
- Take a wild guess
Where do I think the missing cookies went? Take a wild guess.
Who left the lights on all night? Take a wild guess.
Why was I late again? Take a wild guess.
Word forms
| third person singular | takes a wild guess |
|---|---|
| past tense | took a wild guess |
| past participle | taken a wild guess |
| -ing form | taking a wild guess |
Common combinations
- take a wild guess at
- Can you take a wild guess at the price?
- if you had to take a wild guess
- If you had to take a wild guess, who would win?
- just take a wild guess
- Just take a wild guess if you are not sure.
- let me take a wild guess
- Let me take a wild guess: you forgot your keys.
- take a wild guess about
- Don't take a wild guess about medical dosage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hazard a guess
- Hazard a guess is more formal and polite, and does not usually carry the sarcasm that take a wild guess can.
- venture a guess
- Venture a guess suggests a tentative offering of an answer and sounds somewhat literary.
- shoot in the dark
- Shoot in the dark stresses acting with no information at all, not only answering a question.
- play a hunch
- Play a hunch means acting on a feeling that is partly based on experience, so it is less random.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: take a wild guess or educated guess?
take a wild guess vs educated guess
An educated guess is based on knowledge and reasoning, whereas a wild guess has almost nothing to go on.
Practice
When someone says 'Why do you think I'm angry? Take a wild guess,' they mean that ______.
Choose one answer.
Used sarcastically, take a wild guess tells the listener the answer is obvious. The first option is the tempting literal reading and does not fit the tone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “take a wild guess”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.