To tell the truth means to say what is true, to be honest. The expression has a second meaning: to tell (you) the truth at the start of a sentence means “honestly” or “to be frank”.
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tell (someone) the truth about + noun; tell a lie; to tell (you) the truth, + clause
- The doctor told me the truth about my test results, and I appreciated it.
- To tell the truth, I didn't enjoy the conference as much as I expected.
What changed
First versionShe always says the truth, even when it hurts.
RevisionShe always tells the truth, even when it hurts.
Say may seem like the obvious verb for speaking. But with truth and lie, English uses tell: tell the truth, tell a lie. A native speaker will understand says the truth but will hear the mistake straight away.
To tell the truth, followed by a comma, is no longer about honesty. It gently introduces an admission or an unexpected opinion: To tell the truth, I've never liked big parties. In conversation, people often say the same with one word: honestly.
Your turn
Please ___ me the truth: did you break the printer?
Show the answer
tell — Truth needs tell, and after tell the person comes straight away, with no preposition: tell me the truth. Say me is wrong twice: it is the wrong verb, and say needs to before a person.
Think of a time when telling the truth was hard. Write who you told and how it ended.
When I broke my sister's camera, I told her the truth the same evening, and she was upset but forgave me a week later.
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