Ring a bell means to seem familiar. People say it when a name, a title or a place is vaguely familiar but they can't remember the details. The idiom is most often used as That rings a bell and That doesn't ring a bell. It is informal but not too casual, so it fits both conversation and work emails.
When would you say ring a bell?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the expression fits the situation and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
name/place + rings a bell (with someone); doesn't ring a bell; Does it ring any bells?
- Her name rings a bell, but I can't remember where we met.
- Does the Oakwood Hotel ring any bells? I think we stayed there years ago.
- Sorry, the title of that course doesn't ring a bell at all.
What changed
First versionYour teacher's name rings me a bell, but I can't remember why.
RevisionYour teacher's name rings a bell, but I can't remember why.
Me may seem natural because the name is familiar to you. But in the idiom, rings is followed directly by a bell. To say who finds it familiar, add with me at the end: That name rings a bell with me. Only me was removed in the correction.
Don't confuse it with remind: She reminds me of my aunt means “she is like my aunt, she makes me think of her”. Ring a bell is about vague recognition, and its negative form often works as a polite answer: That doesn't ring a bell, meaning “I don't remember it”.
Your turn
I'm sure I've heard the name Peter Collins before, but I can't picture his face. It definitely ___.
Show the answer
rings a bell — The name seems familiar, but the speaker can't picture the face: that's rings a bell. Rings true means “sounds believable”, which is said about a story or an explanation, not a name.
Imagine a colleague asks if you know a certain person or place. Reply that the name sounds vaguely familiar and suggest where you might have heard of it.
The name Anna Petrova rings a bell; I think she spoke at the marketing conference last year.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.