This short guide shows when to use gut and when to use wohl, with quick examples and key differences. Each small section gives clear sentences so you can feel the difference in context.

Gut

Use gut for concrete assessments of quality, ability, or performance. It applies to things, actions, and people in a fairly direct way. Think of gut as measurable or plainly noticeable goodness.

Examples

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Er ist ein(good) Arzt.

He is a good doctor.

Wohl

Use wohl to signal a more tentative, subjective, or expected assessment. It often adds nuance of probability, speaker attitude, or gentle assumption. Use wohl when you hedge a judgment or when something feels right in context.

Examples

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Differences

Gut evaluates actual quality or skill; wohl shades meaning with likelihood, speaker attitude, or polite guess. Wohl can soften statements and is common in predictions or when you want to seem careful.

Summary

Use gut for clear, concrete judgments and wohl for nuanced, probable, or softened assessments. Paying attention to small context clues will help you choose naturally between them.

Quick Reference

ContextUseNotes
Concrete quality or skillgutDirect, measurable goodness
Tentative judgment or probabilitywohlSoftens statement, adds nuance
Speaker attitude or assumptionwohlUseful for polite guesses
Clear assessment neededgutUse when you want to be definite

Keep these distinctions in mind when describing experiences or making evaluations, and practice with short sentences to feel the difference.

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Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025