Cool MateReally great vs Wonderful
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Really great
InformalTop 1,000 (very common)
Wonderful
Top 1,000 (very common)A1adjective
Most formal: Wonderful
| Really great | Wonderful | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //ˈrɪəli ɡreɪt//🇺🇸 //ˈrɪli ɡreɪt// | 🇬🇧 /["/ˈwʌndəfl/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ˈwʌndərfl/"]/ |
| Meaning | Very good or excellent. | Very good or great; something that makes you feel happy. |
| Example | The movie was really great and I enjoyed every minute of it. | The view from the top of the mountain was wonderful. |
| Register | Informal | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | Top 1,000 (very common) |
| CEFR level | - | A1 |
| Part of speech | adjective | |
| Collocations | really great time, really great job, really great meal, really great news | be, feel, look, most, really, absolutely, strange and wonderful, weird and wonderful |
| Antonyms | - | terrible, awful, bad |
| Common mistakes | Using it in a formal context, like a business email., Confusing it with just 'great' which might sound too neutral., Using it with negative sentences, e.g. 'It's not really great.' | Using 'wonderful' too often; it can sound repetitive., Mixing up with 'wonderfull' which is incorrect., Confusing 'wonderful' with 'wonder' which has a different meaning. |
| Usage notes | Used in casual conversation to emphasize positivity. Not suitable for formal written language. | Use 'wonderful' to describe experiences, events, or things that bring joy. It’s appropriate in both spoken and written English but avoid using it in overly casual contexts. |
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Frequently asked questions: Really great vs Wonderful
What's the difference between Really great and Wonderful?
Really great: Very good or excellent. Wonderful: Very good or great; something that makes you feel happy.
Which is more formal: Really great and Wonderful?
Wonderful is the most formal of these.
Can you show an example of each?
Really great: The movie was really great and I enjoyed every minute of it. Wonderful: The view from the top of the mountain was wonderful.
Can I use Really great and Wonderful interchangeably?
Not always. Really great and Wonderful 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.