"I don't believe it"

If somebody says something and you don't believe them, there are many ways of saying you don't believe.

Here are ten of them.

Ten ways to say "I don't believe it"

casual · neutral · formal

You're having me on.casualYou won a car? You're having me on.
You're pulling my leg.casualThe boss gave everyone a day off? You're pulling my leg.
That's a bit of an exaggeration.neutralHe said he walked from Galle to Colombo? That's a bit of an exaggeration.
That's an outright lie.neutralstrongHe says he never touched the money. That's an outright lie.
That's a pack of lies.casualstrongEverything he told the police was a pack of lies.
That's a fishy story.casualA ghost took your homework? That's a fishy story.
What you're saying is libellous.formalWhat you're saying about my client is libellous.
A half-truth.neutralHe said he was "at work", but that was a half-truth.
That's a fib.casualDid you eat my biscuits? Don't tell a fib.
That's stretching the truth a bit.neutralTen thousand people at his party? That's stretching the truth a bit.

How to use them

suggest that the other speaker might be lying as a joke.
suggests that the other speaker has described something as larger or stronger than it really is.
is a strong accusation that the previous statement is totally untrue.
suggests that the other speaker has made a number of statements and that all of them are untrue.
suggests that you are suspicious of a statement but you are not sure that it is a lie.
says that the statement is untrue and could be punished in a law court.
is the most gentle of these phrases but often the speaker still thinks the previous statement was a complete lie.

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See also: Expressing surprise

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