who would have thunk it
/ˈhuː wʊd həv ˈθʌŋk ɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.60 in modern English
42
Scrabble Score
19
Letters
2
Syllables
13
Unique Chars
Meaning
phrase
A rhetorical question used to express incredulity: who would have guessed it?; who would have thought that would happen?
Colloquial
Example Sentences
- "He stayed until he saw she had recovered her self possession, then he left, telegraphed to Mr. Hinsdale of Helen's safe arrival—always the same thoughtful fellow—and then went home and wrote sonnets to his lady love. "Who'd have thunk it of 'im?""
- ""Hello, Muggs!" he cried, vainly trying to bestow a pat upon that unquiet animal. "Say, Trevor, hasn't he grown? He's twice the size he was when you got him!" / "It's a way puppies have." / "You don't say so? Who'd have thunk it![…]""
- "Think of it, the N.A.R.D. Journal has included in its propaganda work a forcible crusade against long speeches! Wonders never cease; who would have "thunk it"? Is brevity a lost art? With all the ridicule, satire, hissing and rotten eggs showered upon long windedness, it still remains with us."
- "Who would have thunk it? Had anyone told me some 10 years ago that I would be alive to see a black person run for President of the United States and be taken seriously, I would have asked what they were tripping on."
- "From somewhere in their well-fed, timorous, it-can't-happen-here ranks, a Spartacus had arisen—who would have thunk it?"
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈhuː wʊd həv ˈθʌŋk ɪt/
- British English: /ˈhuː wʊd həv ˈθʌŋk ɪt/