Safe and sound means completely safe and unharmed. People say it with relief when someone has reached their destination or come back from a trip or a dangerous situation without a scratch. You can use it about things too: The parcel arrived safe and sound.
When would you say safe and sound?
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.
arrive/get home/come back + safe and sound; be safe and sound
- After a twelve-hour delay, we finally landed in Rome safe and sound.
- Please text me when you get home safe and sound.
- The lost cat came back three days later, safe and sound but very hungry.
What changed
First versionThe children came back from summer camp safely and soundly.
RevisionThe children came back from summer camp safe and sound.
After came back, adverbs feel like the natural choice, but this idiom is made of adjectives and its form is fixed. Nobody says safely and soundly. The fixed form safe and sound is back in place.
The neutral option is arrive safely: The plane landed safely. Safe and sound sounds warmer; it is what worried family and friends say. In an essay or a news report, safely or unharmed is more common: All passengers left the train unharmed.
Your turn
My flight was cancelled and my bag got lost, but at least I got home ___.
Show the answer
safe and sound — At least introduces good news after a list of problems: the main thing is that the speaker got home unharmed, so safe and sound. Safely and soundly is an attempt to turn the idiom into adverbs after the verb, but its form is fixed.
Write a message to your family after a trip. Say where you have come back from and what was difficult on the way.
We're back from Istanbul safe and sound, although our train was two hours late and the taxi driver got lost.
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.