Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| угада́ть | ugadátʹ | perfective |
| гада́ть | gadátʹ | imperfective |
| погада́ть | pogadátʹ | perfective |
| уга́дывать | ugádyvatʹ | imperfective |
| отга́дывать | otgádyvatʹ | imperfective |
| отгада́ть | otgadátʹ | perfective |
| дога́дываться | dogádyvatʹsja | imperfective |
| догада́ться | dogadátʹsja | perfective |
The Russian language offers several ways to express different types of guessing. While the general concept involves reaching an unconfirmed conclusion, the specific word you choose depends on whether you are solving a riddle, making a logical deduction or realizing a fact through intuition.
Which one should you use?
Russian distinguishes between various types of guessing. Use уга́дывать or угада́ть for guessing an answer or a hidden object. Use отга́дывать or отгада́ть when you are specifically solving a puzzle, a riddle or a specific hidden answer. Use дога́дываться or догада́ться when you 'guess' or 'realize' a fact or a situation through reasoning or intuition. Do not use гада́ть for general guessing, as that specifically refers to telling fortunes or practicing divination.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the verb forms, select based on aspect. Use the imperfective form уга́дывать to describe the ongoing process of guessing or for instances of guessing that happen repeatedly. Use the perfective form угада́ть to emphasize that a guess was successfully completed. Related to these verbs, the noun дога́дка refers to a hunch or a logical deduction.
How do you pronounce it?
ugadátʹ
Did you know?
- In Russian culture, the tradition of гада́ние involves young women attempting to guess who their future husband will be on Christmas Eve.
- The word зага́дка for 'riddle' shares the same root as the verbs for guessing, meaning the riddle itself is the 'thing to be guessed'.
- The prefix от- in отгада́ть signifies the completion of a task, specifically the act of 'unraveling' a mystery.
Examples in context
- Вы не могли бы угадать, сколько будет стоить эта услуга?Could you please guess how much this service will cost?
- Мы можем только догадываться, какие изменения принесет следующий годWe can only guess what changes the next year will bring
- Попробуйте отгадать, какая песня звучитTry to guess which song is playing
- Я загадала загадку для тебя.I have a riddle for you.
- Хорошо, попробуйте меня заставить отгадать.Alright, try to make me guess.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guess” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
