Cool MateHe's really good vs Skilled
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
He's really good
Top 5,000 (fairly common)
Skilled
Top 2,000 (common)B2adjective
Most common: Skilled
| He's really good | Skilled | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //hiːz ˈrɪəliɡʊd//🇺🇸 //hiz ˈrɪliɡʊd// | 🇬🇧 /["/skɪld/"]/🇺🇸 /["/skɪld/"]/ |
| Meaning | He is very skilled or talented. | Good at doing something because of practice |
| Example | He's really good at cooking Italian food. | a skilled engineer/negotiator/craftsman |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 5,000 (fairly common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | - | B2 |
| Part of speech | adjective | |
| Collocations | really good at, really good for, really good to see | be, become, extremely, fairly, very, at, in, with, skilled in the art (of something), be, become, extremely, fairly, very, at, in, with, skilled in the art (of something) |
| Antonyms | - | unskilled, inexperienced, inept |
| Common mistakes | Using 'good' instead of 'well' for skills (e.g., 'He plays good' instead of 'He plays well')., Overusing the phrase; it's better to specify the skill for clarity., Confusing 'good' with 'great' - they have different levels of emphasis. | Using 'skilled' with 'to' instead of 'at' (e.g., 'skilled to play' instead of 'skilled at playing'), Confusing 'skilled' with 'skillful' — while similar, 'skillful' often refers to someone who is good at doing something in a practical context., Overusing 'skilled' when a more specific word (like 'talented' or 'expert') would be more fitting. |
| Usage notes | Used to express strong approval of someone's abilities. Common in both spoken and written English. Can be informal in some contexts. | Use 'skilled' to describe someone's ability in a certain area, especially in a professional or artistic context. It's appropriate in both casual and formal settings. |
See it in real clips
Frequently asked questions: He's really good vs Skilled
What's the difference between He's really good and Skilled?
He's really good: He is very skilled or talented. Skilled: Good at doing something because of practice
Which is more common: He's really good and Skilled?
Skilled is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
He's really good: He's really good at cooking Italian food. Skilled: a skilled engineer/negotiator/craftsman
Can I use He's really good and Skilled interchangeably?
Not always. He's really good and Skilled 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.