"I don't know"
Sometimes somebody asks you a question and you don't know the answer.
Here are some phrases that you can use when you don't know.
Ten ways to say "I don't know"
casual · neutral · formal
- Sorry. I don't know.neutral"Where's the post office?" "Sorry. I don't know. I'm not from here."
- (I'm afraid,) I've no idea.neutral"When does the bank open?" "I'm afraid I've no idea."
- (Sorry,) I can't help you there.neutralVisa questions? Sorry, I can't help you there.
- I don't know anything about...neutralI don't know anything about cars.
- I don't know the first thing about...neutralstrongI don't know the first thing about cooking.
- I haven't got a clue.casual"What's the answer to question five?" "I haven't got a clue."
- Search me.casual"Where's Amma gone?" "Search me."
- Don't ask me.casual"Why is the train late?" "Don't ask me."
- What are you asking me for?casualstrong"Who broke the glass?" "What are you asking me for?"
- How the hell should I know?casualstrong"Where are my keys?" "How the hell should I know?"
How to use them
- In we can use either "Sorry" or "I'm afraid" or we can leave this part of the phrase out. These phrases are quite polite.
- are saying that you don't know the answer and that you don't know about the whole topic area.
- are saying (more strongly) that you don't know anything about the topic.
- If you say , you are probably a little angry that somebody asked you a question about this topic.
- is showing stronger annoyance that somebody asked you about a certain topic.
Quick check
Tap an answer. Nothing is saved.
Which reply is polite to a stranger?
"I don't know the first thing about it" means:
Which reply is rude?
See also: Delaying your answer · Avoiding questions
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