Cool MateAwesome vs That'd be the bomb
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Awesome
InformalTop 1,000 (very common)B1adjective
That'd be the bomb
SlangTop 5,000 (fairly common)
Most formal: AwesomeMost common: Awesome
| Awesome | That'd be the bomb | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //ˈɔːsəm//🇺🇸 //ˈɔːsəm// | 🇬🇧 //ðæt wəd bi ðə bɒm//🇺🇸 //ðæt wəd bi ðə bɑm// |
| Meaning | Very good or impressive | That would be great or amazing. |
| Example | That movie was awesome! | Going to that concert would be the bomb! |
| Register | Informal | Slang |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | Top 5,000 (fairly common) |
| CEFR level | B1 | - |
| Part of speech | adjective | |
| Collocations | awesome experience, awesome job, awesome view, awesome performance | that'd be the bomb, sounds like it’d be the bomb |
| Antonyms | terrible, awful, bad | That'd be terrible, That'd be awful, That'd be horrible |
| Common mistakes | Used too frequently; try to vary vocabulary., Confused with 'awful', which means very bad., Overused for minor achievements. | Used in formal conversations., Confused with 'that'll be the bomb' which is incorrect., Said too seriously, it should be light-hearted. |
| Usage notes | Commonly used in casual conversation. Avoid in formal writing, where 'impressive' or 'excellent' might be more appropriate. | Used informally to express excitement. Avoid in formal settings and professional contexts. |
See it in real clips
Frequently asked questions: Awesome vs That'd be the bomb
What's the difference between Awesome and That'd be the bomb?
Awesome: Very good or impressive That'd be the bomb: That would be great or amazing.
Which is more formal: Awesome and That'd be the bomb?
Awesome is the most formal of these.
Which is more common: Awesome and That'd be the bomb?
Awesome is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Awesome: That movie was awesome! That'd be the bomb: Going to that concert would be the bomb!
Can I use Awesome and That'd be the bomb interchangeably?
Not always. Awesome and That'd be the bomb are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.