Basic+ Word of the Day: guess

guess (verb, noun)

If you don't know the answer, you can guess.

If you guess something, it means that you don’t know the correct answer but you give an opinion.

• Can you guess her age?

Guess is also an idea that you’re not sure is correct.

• I think she’s from Australia, but it’s just a guess.

Don't confuse it with

A guest is someone who visits our home or comes to a party.

Common uses

Before we tell someone about something interesting, we sometimes say, “Guess what?” The other person usually says, “What?” and then we can tell them our story.

In pop culture

There is a popular children’s game called Guess Who. In this TV commercial from the 1990s, a boy and a girl play the game by making guesses about people in the game. Try to hear the girl and boy ask these questions: “Does your person wear a hat?” “Does your person have a beard?” and “Does your person wear glasses?”

There are other meanings of guess.