# to be honest

Pronunciation: US say "tuh BEE AH-nist" /tə ˌbi ˈɑnɪst/; UK say "tuh BEE ON-ist" /tə ˌbiː ˈɒnɪst/; AUS say "tuh-bee-ON-ist"

## Idiom

1. Used to introduce a frank or candid statement, often one the speaker suspects the listener may not want to hear.
   - Simple: Used before saying what you really think, even when it might be hard to hear.
   - _To be honest, I never expected the project to succeed._
   - _The meal was fine, but to be honest, I've had much better at half the price._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/to-be-honest (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).