вряд ли

vryad li — unlikely / I doubt it / probably not

What it really means

"Вряд ли" expresses polite skepticism — "it is unlikely that..." It is softer than a flat "нет" (no) but stronger than "наверное нет" (probably not). It precedes the thing being doubted.

As a standalone reply it means "I doubt it" or "probably not." It is used in both formal and everyday speech and sounds natural in most registers.

Examples in natural speech

Вряд ли он успеет к пяти.
He's unlikely to make it by five.
— Она придёт? — Вряд ли.
— Is she coming? — I doubt it.
Вряд ли это хорошая идея.
That's probably not a great idea.
Вряд ли я смогу помочь в этом деле.
I doubt I'll be able to help with this one.
Вряд ли кто-то знал об этом.
It's unlikely anyone knew about this.

Common mistakes

Avoid "не вряд ли" — this double negative sounds unnatural in Russian. To express "likely" or "probably," use "скорее всего" (most likely) or "наверное" (probably).

Memory tip

"Вряд" comes from "ряд" (row/line) — "вряд ли" = it barely falls in line = unlikely. Think of it as something that just misses qualifying.

Frequently asked questions

What does вряд ли mean?

"Вряд ли" means "unlikely," "I doubt it," or "probably not." It expresses polite skepticism. As a one-word reply: "Вряд ли" = "I doubt it."

How do you say probably not in Russian?

"Вряд ли" (unlikely / I doubt it) is stronger than "наверное нет" (probably not). For "most likely not," use "скорее всего нет."

Is вряд ли one word or two?

"Вряд ли" is two words. "Вряд" alone is never used without "ли" in modern Russian.

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