How do you say “Your guess is as good as mine” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is Das weiß ich auch nicht, which literally means “I do not know that either”. English speakers use your guess is as good as mine to mean i do not know the answer any more than you do. The natural everyday response when you have no more information than the person asking. It is informal, neutral and common in everyday German.
Closest natural German
Das weiß ich auch nicht
/das vaɪs ɪç aʊx nɪçt/
- Literal meaning
- “I do not know that either”
- Register
- informal, neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
92 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
English jokingly gives both people’s guesses equal value. German usually says directly that the speaker does not know either.
The meaning stays the same, but the small joke disappears. “Genauso ratlos wie du” brings back the sense of being in it together.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in German?
Da bin ich genauso ratlos wie du
Literally: “There I am just as at a loss as you”
Makes the shared uncertainty explicit.
Keine Ahnung
Literally: “No idea”
Shorter and very casual; can sound abrupt.
Don't translate it literally
Dein Raten ist so gut wie meines
This compares the quality of guessing instead of naturally admitting shared uncertainty.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in German, not as expressions.
In context
English
Why is the shop closed? Your guess is as good as mine.
German
Warum ist der Laden zu? Das weiß ich auch nicht.
English
When will they arrive? Your guess is as good as mine.
German
Wann kommen sie an? Da bin ich genauso ratlos wie du.
Related expressions
Last reviewed 2026-09-12