No cap means honestly or I'm not exaggerating: people use it to stress that they're telling the truth. It goes at the end or the beginning of a sentence. It's slang from social media, texting and conversations with friends.
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statement + no cap; no cap, + statement
- That was the best pizza I've ever had, no cap.
- No cap, I studied for six hours straight yesterday.
- This playlist got me through the whole exam week, no cap.
What changed
First versionDear Mr Reid, I did all the homework myself, no cap.
RevisionDear Mr Reid, I did all the homework myself, I promise.
No cap is a casual way of swearing you're telling the truth, and in a message to a teacher it sounds unserious. A neutral alternative with the same meaning is I promise. Nothing else in the sentence needs to change.
On its own, cap means the opposite, a lie: That's cap, he's never been to Japan. So no cap literally means no lie. Neither cap nor no cap is used in essays; in IELTS Speaking, say honestly or I'm not exaggerating instead of no cap.
Your turn
This is the best coffee in town, ___. You have to try it.
Show the answer
no cap — You're praising the coffee and telling someone to try it, so you're vouching for your words, and no cap is needed. Cap means a lie: with it, you'd be contradicting yourself.
Write to a friend recommending a place or thing you genuinely like. Use no cap and say exactly what makes it good.
No cap, you should try the noodle bar near the station, the ramen is amazing and really cheap.
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