Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

trust, but verify

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.86 in modern English

Syllables: trust, but ver-i-fy
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

phrase

One should have general faith in the benevolent intentions of others, but ultimately one can only rely on things that have been verified.

Example Sentences

"Before affixing his signature, Reagan also told the Soviet leader — and reassured congressional conservatives worried about Kremlin compliance — that he would follow the Russian adage to "trust, but verify.""
"If I had blindly fulfilled her first request, it would have inconvenienced many other users and wouldn't have solved the problem. Never forget this phrase - “trust, but verify.”"
"Trust but verify—plain and simple. Well, mostly just verify, as the objective record removes the vulnerability of getting cheated."

Etymology

Calque of Russian доверя́й, но проверя́й (doverjáj, no proverjáj). Often attributed to Vladimir Lenin, although no written evidence exists. Popularized in English by Ronald Reagan in the context of nuclear disarmament.

Phrases

trust everybody, but cut the cards

Frequently Paired Words

trust everybody, but cut the cards

Questions

What does trust, but verify mean?: One should have general faith in the benevolent intentions of others, but ultimately one can only rely on things that have been verified.
Where does trust, but verify come from?: Calque of Russian доверя́й, но проверя́й (doverjáj, no proverjáj). Often attributed to Vladimir Lenin, although no written evidence exists. Popularized in English by Ronald Reagan in the context of nuclear disarmament.

How to pronounce trust, but verify

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “trust, but verify”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “trust, but verify”.
Repeat and practice — Say “trust, but verify” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.