verb

tell

tehl

verb

To give someone information by speaking or writing; to say something to someone.

"She told him the good news as soon as he walked in."

"Can you tell me how to get to the station?"

To narrate or recount, as in telling a story.

"Grandpa loved to tell stories about his time at sea."

To order or instruct someone to do something.

"The teacher told the class to sit down."

To know or work out something, often by noticing small clues.

"I could tell she was upset just by her tone of voice."

"It's hard to tell whether he's joking or serious."

To inform an authority figure about someone's wrongdoing.

"The younger kid threatened to tell the teacher if they didn't stop."

How to Use Tell

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo pass on information by speaking, to order someone, or to work something out from clues — one of the most basic everyday verbs in English.

Common mistake

"Tell" takes a person as its object ("tell me"), while "say" does not ("say to me," not "say me"). Don't say "tell to me."

Easily confused with

say →

Common pairings

tell the truth tell a story tell someone off can't tell

Word Forms

told past tense, telled past tense, tell plural, told plural, tells plural, tells plural, Tells plural, tells singular, tell singular, tellest singular, told singular, toldest singular, telleth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Can you _____ me how to get to the station?

Etymology

From Old English tellan, "to count, tell," from a Germanic root meaning "to count, enumerate" — the same root that gives us "tale" and "talk."

Synonyms

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number apprise make known tattle snitch

Antonyms

ask

Related Words

number ask gossip talk nose count publish thief

Rhymes for tell

ell hell fell bell cell sell well dell yell pell kell Nell

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number apprise make known tattle snitch ask gossip talk nose count publish thief