наво́дка
navódkafeminine
In Russian, the English word 'tip' can be translated in several ways depending on whether you mean a piece of advice or a gratuity. The default form for a tip in the sense of a lead is наво́дка (navódka). Wiktionary also lists подска́зка (podskázka).
Meaning: piece of advice (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| наво́дка | navódka | feminine |
| подска́зка | podskázka | feminine |
When 'tip' refers to a piece of information, a clue or a lead that helps solve a problem or a discovery, use наво́дка. When 'tip' refers to a helpful hint, a prompt or guidance to help someone complete a task or remember something, use подска́зка.
Which one should you use?
наво́дка is used specifically for a lead or a piece of information provided by an informant to aid a discovery. In contrast, подска́зка is used for a helpful suggestion or a hint given to someone who is stuck, such as during a game or an exam.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both наво́дка and подска́зка are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
navódka
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the nouns for advice, наво́дка or подска́зка, when you actually mean a monetary tip. To refer to a gratuity, you must use the phrase на чай.
Did you know?
- The phrase for a monetary tip, на чай, literally translates to 'for tea'.
- While an English speaker might say 'I have a tip for you' to mean a hint, a Russian speaker using наво́дка sounds more like a detective receiving a lead from an informant.
- In the digital world, the word подска́зка serves a dual purpose as both a 'hint' for a user and the technical term for a 'tooltip' on a screen.
Examples in context
- Оставьте, пожалуйста, чаевые.Please leave a tip.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tip” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
