When do I use "Say" and when do I use "Tell"?

Fixed expressions with "tell": tell the truth, tell a lie, tell the time, tell a joke, tell a story, tell the difference. Fixed expressions with "say": say hello/goodbye, say sorry, say a prayer, it goes without saying. When you mention the person, "say" takes "to": "She said to me that..." vs. "She told me that..." (no "to"). Common error: "say me the answer" ✗ = "tell me the answer" ✓.

What is the most common mistake with "Say" and "Tell"?

Forgetting the recipient after "tell": "She told that she was tired" is wrong (correct: "She told ME that she was tired"). And "She said me the answer" is wrong (correct: "She told me the answer").

How do I remember the difference between "Say" and "Tell"?

TELL needs a direct listener glued to the verb: tell ME, tell HIM, tell THE CLASS (person right after the verb, no preposition). SAY speaks into the air or needs "to": "say something", "say to me". TELL-EPHONE: like a phone, there's always a specific person on the other end.

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Which one to use?Beginnerverbverb

SayvsTell

Both mean 'to say', but 'tell' always needs to know who receives the message.

Side-by-side comparison

Say

verb

"Say" expresses words or information without requiring a mention of who it is directed to. "She said she was tired" = those were her words. The recipient is optional.

She said that she was tired.
He said goodbye and left.
What did you say?

Tell

verb

"Tell" communicates information to a specific person and always requires a direct recipient. "She told me she was tired" = she communicated it to me. Always followed by a person: me, him, them...

She told me that she was tired.
Tell me the truth.
He told his students to study.

Common mistake

•Forgetting the recipient after "tell": "She told that she was tired" is wrong (correct: "She told ME that she was tired").
•And "She said me the answer" is wrong (correct: "She told me the answer").

Trick to remember it

•TELL needs a direct listener glued to the verb: tell ME, tell HIM, tell THE CLASS (person right after the verb, no preposition). SAY speaks into the air or needs "to": "say something", "say to me".
•TELL-EPHONE: like a phone, there's always a specific person on the other end.

Quick rule

•Fixed expressions with "tell": tell the truth, tell a lie, tell the time, tell a joke, tell a story, tell the difference.
•Fixed expressions with "say": say hello/goodbye, say sorry, say a prayer, it goes without saying.
•When you mention the person, "say" takes "to": "She said to me that..." vs. "She told me that..." (no "to").
•Common error: "say me the answer" ✗ = "tell me the answer" ✓.

Did you know?

TELL has fixed idiomatic expressions that can never be replaced by SAY. "Tell the time" (read a clock). "Tell the difference" (notice a distinction). "Tell a story" (narrate something). "Tell a lie" (say something false). "Tell someone's fortune" (predict someone's future). "Time will tell" (the future will reveal the truth). And a very useful expression in professional English: "I can tell" (I can perceive, I can sense), as in "I can tell you're nervous" = I can sense you are nervous. This expression uses TELL without a person object, proving that grammatical rules have exceptions when phrases become idiomatic.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Pick the right one

She _____ me she was going to be late. I got the message in time.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

She _____ that the meeting would be on Monday.

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Related word pairs

AbovevsOver

"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.

ActuallyvsReally

"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.

ActuallyvsCurrently

'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.

AdoptvsAdapt

'Adopt' means to take something on as your own; 'adapt' means to adjust to something new.

Bryan López

Founder of SpeakUP Academy

July 22, 2026

See all Vocabulary pairs Explore English suffixes

Side-by-side comparison

Say

verb

"Say" expresses words or information without requiring a mention of who it is directed to. "She said she was tired" = those were her words. The recipient is optional.

She said that she was tired.
He said goodbye and left.
What did you say?

Tell

verb

"Tell" communicates information to a specific person and always requires a direct recipient. "She told me she was tired" = she communicated it to me. Always followed by a person: me, him, them...

She told me that she was tired.
Tell me the truth.
He told his students to study.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Pick the right one

She _____ me she was going to be late. I got the message in time.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

She _____ that the meeting would be on Monday.

Exercise 3 · Form the word