phrase · informal

Needless to say

UK/ˈniːdləs tə seɪ/US/ˈniːdləs tu seɪ/NEED·less to say

speakingtask2

Used to introduce a statement that is obvious or already known

Examples

Needless to say, regular revision helps students get better marks.

Needless to say, safety checks are mandatory before the experiment.

Needless to say, public transport improvements benefit low-income families most.

Band 8 sentence

Needless to say, any policy that ignores scientific evidence will fail to address the root causes of the problem.

Collocations

  • Needless to say, + clause
  • Needless to say (comma) at the start

Word family

needless adjneedlessly advneed v/n

Common mistakes

Needless say, we must act now.Needless to say, we must act now.

No need to say that the results were poor.Needless to say, the results were poor.

Say it for a higher band

5I don't need to say6Of course7+Needless to say

Synonyms

Of course

Easily confused

Of course

Of course we will consider environmental impacts in the plan.

Related words

Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.

In Emphasis & conclusion

Learn it with its set