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⇱ tell - WordReference.com English Collocations

tell

Listen:
UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈtɛl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/tɛl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(tel)

Inflections of 'tell' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
tells
v 3rd person singular
telling
v pres p
told
v past
told
v past p

Collocations for "tell"


Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "tell" in context.

WordReference English Collocations © 2026

tell

ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.
v
  1. tell a [secret, lie, fib, joke]
  2. don't tell [lies, fibs, stories, tales]
  3. told us the [news, truth, secret]
  4. tell me the truth
  5. tell a story (about)
  6. tell tall [stories, tales]
  7. tell her side of the story
  8. tell it how it is
  9. tell me what you [think, want, heard, decide]
  10. tell me your opinion
  11. tell me when you decide
  12. tell her everything
  13. tell her you love her
  14. don't tell [him, anyone]
  15. need to tell [a friend, someone] (about)
  16. someone should tell him that
  17. let me tell you [all about it, everything]
  18. can't tell you [when, if, where, what, how]
  19. promise you won't tell [anyone, a soul]?
  20. (please) don't tell me [you've, you're]
  21. were told to [come, go, be quiet]
  22. can tell when [you're lying, you've made a mistake]
  23. can tell the difference (between)
  24. can tell you changed your [hair, glasses]
  25. you can't always tell [which, who, what]
  26. is not always easy to tell
  27. [cannot, hard to] tell the [two, twins, sisters] apart
  28. [cannot] tell them apart
  29. told [them, the children] off (for)
  30. going to tell (the teacher, your parents) on you (for)
  31. tell on your little [brother, sister]
  32. [history, legend] tells of a [land, time, king]
'tell' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Forum discussions with the word(s) "tell" in the title:

<----> listen with him tell her that<----> - English Only forum
... then you have/will have to tell me the truth. - English Only forum
...I tell/am telling you this - English Only forum
...one month in the sense that you can tell a child.... - English Only forum
'~, or he and I will fall out, <I can tell him>!' - English Only forum
'Are you trying to tell me <. . .> ?' - English Only forum
'Hard to tell' vs 'Hard to say' - English Only forum
'I don't need you to tell me...' VS 'I don't need you telling me...' - English Only forum
'Say' vs 'ask' vs 'tell' - English Only forum
'tell my friends before her' - English Only forum
'tell somebody' with action verbs/state verbs - English Only forum
'Think and tell me? ' Is that idiomatic? - English Only forum
'truthfully' for 'to tell you the truth' - English Only forum
“Next time you tell me you had taken I shower, I will not believe you”. - English Only forum
“Please tell me why you did call her?” - English Only forum
(preferred to They refused to tell us something about it.) - English Only forum
(to) hear pro-Russian activists tell it - English Only forum
(You-not-tell) him anything if you know he gets furious. - English Only forum
[Ambiguity] I'll tell you if it's over by then - English Only forum
[Rather: but] I’ll tell you all about it by-and-bye, sir - English Only forum
a dumpy non-tell - English Only forum
a <good one> to tell them - English Only forum
a passion which could tell everything - English Only forum
a person that i can tell everything - English Only forum
a time to tell - English Only forum
afraid to <tell you> <say> - English Only forum
Again I tell you it is not the insignificant private individual...I wish to mate - English Only forum
age begins (starts) to tell / taking its toll - English Only forum
Ain't nobody tell me - English Only forum
Akil asked Milt to tell the court - English Only forum
more...
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