# guess

/ˈɡɛs/ (US) · /ɡˈɛs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/guess
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to speculate

verb · CEFR A1

to try to give an answer or opinion when you do not have all the facts.

For teachers: to form an opinion or give an answer about something when one does not have sufficient information to be certain.

- I don't know how many people were there, but I would guess about fifty.
- Economists can only guess at the long-term impact of the new policy until more data becomes available next quarter.

Usage: Often used with 'at' when the object is a specific value or measurement.

### 2. to suppose or think

verb · CEFR A2 · Informal

you use this when you think something is probably true or when you are making a decision.

For teachers: to suppose or believe something to be the case; frequently used as a pragmatic marker of hesitant agreement or a tentative decision.

- I guess we should start heading home before it gets too dark.
- I guess the meeting is over, seeing as everyone has already packed up their laptops and left the room.

Usage: Commonly used in the first person ('I guess') to introduce a statement.

Teaching tip: In American English, 'I guess' is very common for expressing a likely truth; in British English, 'I suppose' is often preferred.

### 3. to find the right answer

verb · CEFR B1

to find the correct answer by chance or by thinking about it.

For teachers: to succeed in discovering or identifying something correctly by conjecture.

- You guessed my password on the first try.
- She managed to guess the weight of the cake exactly, winning the top prize at the village fair.

Usage: Often used with 'right' or 'correctly'.

### 4. an opinion without facts

noun · CEFR A2

an answer or opinion that you give when you are not sure if you are right.

For teachers: an estimate or conclusion formed without sufficient evidence or certain knowledge.

- If I had to make a guess, I'd say the train will be late again.
- His calculation was little more than an educated guess based on last year's sales figures rather than current market trends.

Usage: Commonly used in the phrase 'make a guess'.

## Examples

- My guess is that the train will be late.
- If you do not know the answer to the question, just take a wild guess.
- Even an educated guess requires a baseline of data, as making a claim without any foundational knowledge is merely speculation rather than informed estimation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.