How do you say “Hedge your bets” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is sich mehrere Möglichkeiten offenhalten, which literally means “to keep several possibilities open for oneself”. English speakers use hedge your bets to mean to reduce the risk of failure by keeping more than one option available. A clear German match for keeping alternatives available. It stresses flexibility more than spreading a financial risk. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
sich mehrere Möglichkeiten offenhalten
/zɪç ˈmeːʁəʁə ˈmøːklɪçkaɪtn̩ ˌɔfn̩haltn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to keep several possibilities open for oneself”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
93 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
This fits applications, plans and backup arrangements. “Mehrere Möglichkeiten” makes clear that you are avoiding dependence on a single choice.
The wording is usually neutral. If you mean secretly supporting both sides, you will need to explain that behaviour separately.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I’m hedging my bets by applying to three different courses.
German
Ich halte mir mehrere Möglichkeiten offen und bewerbe mich für drei verschiedene Kurse.
English
We hedged our bets and booked an indoor room as well as the garden.
German
Wir hielten uns mehrere Möglichkeiten offen und buchten neben dem Garten auch einen Innenraum.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13