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1 Dec 2020
- French (France)
- Spanish (Mexico)
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English (US)
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Italian
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Portuguese (Brazil)
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between I guess and I assume ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between I guess and I assume ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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- English (UK)
- English (US)
‘I guess’ is more informal.
As a general rule, when you find words in English that mean the same thing:
- ones derived from Germanic/Old English tend to be more informal
- ones derived from Old French/Latin roots tend to be more formal
E.g. Beverage (of French origin) is more formal than Drink (of Germanic origin)
This is the same with ‘Guess’ (Germanic/Old English) vs ‘Assume’ (Latin/French).
Highly-rated answerer
- Indonesian
- English (US) Near fluent
"I guess" is more like "I think this is true but I'm not really sure", while "I assume" is more like "I'm not sure this is true but let's think as if it's true"
The word "assume" is also often used in academic field, especially in researches and statistics where we have to make an assumption first and prove it later on.
Highly-rated answerer
- French (France)
- Spanish (Mexico)
Thank you a lot to you @scarletzyy and @lydiadragonfruit. Appreciate the detailed explanations :)
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