you nailed it

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Said to praise someone who has just done something perfectly or exactly right, such as a performance, an answer or a task.

   Grammar: Spoken as a complete remark; the subject you is usually kept.

   Patterns

   • you nailed it
   • you totally nailed it

   That speech was perfect, you nailed it!

   I watched the audition tape and you nailed it.

   You nailed it on your first attempt at the recipe.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Said to confirm that someone has guessed or described a situation exactly right.

   Grammar: Responds to a guess or explanation: you nailed it, that is what happened.

   Patterns

   • you nailed it with something

   You nailed it when you said the printer was out of ink.

   He called the final score exactly, so I told him he nailed it.

Common combinations

totally nailed it

You totally nailed it in that interview.

absolutely nailed it

Our team absolutely nailed it at the competition.

nailed it on the first try

She nailed it on the first try.

you really nailed it

You really nailed it with that design.

nail it

Take a breath and go nail it.

Synonyms and how they differ

well done

Well done is more neutral and polite, while you nailed it is more casual and enthusiastic.

you got it

You got it can also mean agreement or understanding, whereas you nailed it stresses excellent performance.

bravo

Bravo is a slightly theatrical cheer for a performance, whereas you nailed it works for any task.

spot on

Spot on is British and describes something exactly accurate, while you nailed it also praises skill.

Opposites

Word family

nail verb

to do something perfectly, informal

nailed adjective

fixed with nails, in the literal sense

nail-biter noun

a very tense contest

Commonly confused: you nailed it or nailed down?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “you nailed it”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words