Scams and fraud · Money and prices
too good to be true
probably dishonest
If something seems too good to be true, it may not be real or honest.
This vs that
The offer sounds too good to be true.
She fell for it.
Hear it in real life
They say I can double my money in a week.
That sounds too good to be true.
The advert promised a brand-new phone for £20, which sounded too good to be true.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
People commonly use this phrase as an immediate warning about an unlikely offer.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: The offer is too good than true.
Say: The offer is too good to be true.
This expression uses 'to be', not 'than'.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
seem too good to be true
That investment opportunity seems too good to be true.
The price seemed too good to be true, so I checked the website first.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about scams and fraud.
watch out for scams
Watch out for scams when buying tickets online.
give away your bank details
Never give away your bank details over the phone.
Scams and fraud words
Money and prices · Scams and fraud: the words around “too good to be true”.
More connectionsMore scams and fraud words6
More scams and fraud words
Your turn: say it out loud
That sounds too good to be true.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
too good to be true
probably dishonest
“The advert promised a brand-new phone for £20, which sounded too good to be true.”
heytardy