No one wants to sound stupid, whether at work or even when talking to a date or a friend. However, there are certain phrases that might be part of your vocabulary that will end up dumbing you down and making you seem much less intelligent than you actually are. If you don’t want to sound like an idiot, ban these sentences from your life moving forward and you’ll be on the right track.
1. “I dunno.”
While it’s perfectly acceptable (and actually pretty normal) not to have all the answers, simply saying, “I dunno” without making an effort to, you know, actually find out, makes you seem uninterested and unintelligent. Instead, say something like, “I’m not sure about that, but let me look into it and see what I can find out.” This shows you’re actually willing to take the initiative and do a bit of legwork to find out what you need to know.
2. “That’s Not My Job.”
Sure, maybe it’s not your job — and you shouldn’t let yourself be taken advantage of, by any means — but outright dismissing someone’s request by tagging out without even hearing what they have to say or whether you might be able to help pretty easily is inflexible and shows you’re really not a team player. You can also find more diplomatic ways to say the same thing. Something like, “I’m happy to help, but I feel like [such-and-such person] might actually be better for this” can shift the burden from your shoulders without making you look like a jerk — just make sure you’re not throwing anyone else under the bus in the process
3. “I Can’t.”
A lot of times, saying “I can’t” is actually code for “I won’t but I don’t want to come out and say that.” Either that, or it’s a phrase people use to hide their insecurities. They lack self-belief, so they just pretend like it’s impossible from the outset so they don’t have to even try. This is one of those phrases that makes you sound like an idiot because it’s close-minded, unimaginative, and shows you don’t have much faith in your own capabilities. Sure, maybe you actually can’t, but you could at least say something like, “I’ll give it my best shot.” Then actually do that.
4. “I’m Just Not Good at [Insert Skill].”
Real talk: I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard people (specifically women, sadly) be like, “Oh man, I’m just terrible at cooking! I could burn boiling water, hee hee!” and it makes me want to poke my eyes out with very blunt sticks. This is one of those phrases, especially when used in this context, that makes the sayer sound like an absolute idiot. You don’t have to be good at everything — not everyone is! — but playing dumb to seem cute or to try and make yourself appear more likable is a big no-no.
5. “I’m just saying…”
So just say it? We don’t need a preamble and The listener’s ears aren’t going to be more likely to perk up when you say this before spitting out what you actually meant. Again, this is more filler that people use to fill blank spaces in the conversation/what they’re saying rather than filling it with substance.
6. “This Might Be a Dumb Idea, But…”
Why are you undermining your credibility before you’ve even spoken a full sentence? First of all, when brainstorming, there are no dumb ideas. There are some that are more likely to be useful than others, but you’re just spitballing, so this is the time to say all the ridiculous ideas that come into your head. By talking yourself down before anyone else can, you make yourself look insecure and unsure of yourself, and neither are good looks.
7. “I Hated That.”
I hate lots of stuff in life — we all do — but if you’re going to use this phrase, you need to have some good reasoning to back it up. Hate is a pretty strong emotion, so unless the subject of this sentence is something like, I dunno, racism or war, maybe tone down your language a bit. There are better ways to convey your dislike of a particular thing when asked. And hey, if you haven’t been asked for your opinion, why not just keep it to yourself?
8. “I’m Sorry, but…”
If you’re starting a sentence with an apology, you’re already making yourself look bad. It tells the listener that you’re either a) about to say something really rude or offensive but you’re trying to cover your back or b) you’re playing the meek and mild person who’s so uncertain of themselves that they have to preface everything with an apology because they believe it might be wrong/invalid. It’s a big nope.
9. “It’s Too Hard.”
Life is hard! There are a lot of things that you’re going to deal with that are truly tough. Trying to finish a grueling workout or painting the fence in your back yard are not “too hard.” That’s not to say that it’s not okay to acknowledge when something is challenging for whatever reason, just that this phrase makes you sound like an idiot who believes everything in life is going to come easy, and it’s really, really not.
10. “I’m Not a [Insert Expertise].”
This one probably doesn’t make you sound unintelligent so much as it makes you sound like kind of a dingbat. I’m sure your friend who asked if you know what kind of replacement charger they need for their electric shaver doesn’t think you’re a certified electrician. It’s not that deep. You don’t have to be a trained professional in a given area to have a bit of insight and basic know-how.
11. “I Should Have…”
Woulda, coulda, shoulda. We all think back on certain situations in life and realize we probably would have handled it differently if given the chance again, but there’s no sense dwelling in the past. Intelligent people know that looking ahead to the future is the only way to go. Dwelling on stuff that’s ancient history at this point is a waste of time and energy.
12. “I Guess…”
Does saying “I guess…” make you sound like an idiot? Not always, but when used in place of much clearer words you could be using in a situation, yes. For instance, if someone asks if you can do something for them that you can’t or don’t want to do and you answer with “I guess…” you’re playing the fool. Just be like, “Yeah no, that’s not going to work, sorry.” You can’t get mad that you’re physically, mentally, and emotionally drained when you never speak up for yourself.
13. “You Probably Know More About This Than I Do.”
In a way, this is actually a really smart thing to say. It’s admitting that you’re not trying to be a know-it-all and can concede to others who have more information on a topic than you do. However, unintelligent people tend to use this as a way to shirk away from taking responsibility for a given task and get out of having to do any work. In that sense, this phrase doesn’t just make you sound like an idiot, but you look lazy, to boot.
14. “At the end of the day…”
A lot of people tend to use this to sum up some big long yarn they’ve been spinning, but it doesn’t actually mean anything. It’s just more filler, probably much like all the chat that preceded it. “At the end of the day” basically wipes out anything that came before it and summarizes the whole thing in a single sentence (which is what should have been done in the first place). Why does this phrase make you sound like an idiot? Because people use it thinking it makes them seem smarter even though it adds nothing to the conversation.
15. “I’m not gonna lie…”
Whatever comes after this, you can pretty much bet that the listener is going to assume that you are indeed lying. Otherwise, you wouldn’t need to point out the fact that you planned to be honest. Isn’t honesty the default? Why would you need to clarify that this next bit is actually going to be true. What, in comparison to all the other BS that came out of your mouth? And if you’re not meaning it like this, why are you saying it? Again, it’s just more filler that ultimately doesn’t need to be there.
16. “I personally…”
If you’re saying it, then it’s obviously about you. By using two words that signify the same thing — for all the linguistics nerds out there, this is called a tautological pleonasm — you’re doubling up unnecessarily and making yourself seem a little less intelligent. Is it the end of the world? Obviously not. Colloquial speech doesn’t need to be prim and proper. However, the more concise and direct your language is in general in life, the better (and the smarter you’ll seem). Just something to keep in mind!
17. “I could care less.”
Ooh, this is a doozy. If you’re looking at this being like, “This doesn’t seem right…” then congrats, you’re probably pretty smart. People often use “I could care less” when what they really mean is that they couldn’t care less. As in, they don’t care at all and it doesn’t matter, that’s how insignificant it is. Saying that you could care less means you care a whole lot and it’s really bothering you. They’re complete opposites, yet so many people make this mistake.
18. “Basically.”
Something either is or it isn’t — it can’t “basically” be anything. This is yet another filler world people throw in when they don’t have anything else to say. I’ve often heard it used basically as a replacement for “touche” in conversation (in which case, people should just say that). Again, this isn’t the end of the world, but especially in professional situations, you might want to cut this out of your conversations.
19. “Supposably.”
Do I really need to explain why this one is so wrong? The word is supposedly. There is no such word as supposably — never has been, never will be. Please use this correctly, for the love of all that’s holy.
20. “Literally.”
“Literally” is a word that’s used very liberally by people in conversation, almost as a way to add emphasis. For instance, someone might say, “I literally am so tired” or “I literally can’t stand that girl.” Obviously, the word “literally” doesn’t need to be there. When you say you’re tired or that you don’t like someone, no one is going to think this is a coded message that actually means something else, thereby requiring you to cement it as being “literally” true.
21. “Same difference.”
I feel kinda bad putting this phrase on the list because it’s pretty harmless. No one is really using this literally — like a few others here, it’s a figure of speech people pepper into conversations for no real reason. However, the problem is that it’s become so ubiquitous and it’s so absolutely meaningless that it drives me bonkers to hear it. It’s an oxymoron that’s not funny, cute, or even particularly clever. Get rid of it!
22. “Like…”
This one has been talked about for years, and I don’t actually think it’s that big of a deal. If you know how to communicate your ideas clearly and efficiently and you have a varied vocabulary otherwise, it’s pretty harmless to throw in “like” every now and then. However, there are many people who believe using “like” in sentences makes you sound dumb, so YMMV.
23. “Should/shouldn’t of”
This is another phrase that will make you look like an idiot in certain company simply because it’s grammatically incorrect. It’s should or shouldn’t have, not of. You can’t “should not of” or “should of” — “of” is not a verb. The grammar police (of which I am unfortunately a member) take serious issue with this one.
24. “Good vibes only!”
Why is this one so offensive? Because it’s so dismissive and implies somewhat of a clueless attitude. Obviously, having a positive attitude in life goes a long way, but some things are certainly not good vibes, and avoiding facing the reality of certain situations or brushing off negative people or experiences with “good vibes only” just makes you seem like you can’t handle confrontation or, you know, living in the real world.
25. “No offense.”
Much like “I’m sorry, but…” above, “no offense” is used by people who lack emotional intelligence to try to overwrite the rude or inappropriate stuff they just said or are about to say. It’s cheap, meaningless, and really obnoxious. You obviously meant offense by what you said, so why try to insist otherwise?
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