11-07-2025
The 15 ways Britons say sorry — and only one of them means regret
Sorry seems to be the hardest word, sang Elton John — but not for British people it appears, for whom it has 15 different uses (and only one of them expressing true regret).
Linguists have analysed the context in which we say sorry and identified multiple meanings. They say it often causes confusion for foreign people moving to the UK, who take it as a literal apology rather than decoding what is truly being expressed.
Karen Grainger, a lecturer in linguistics at Sheffield Hallam University, says the word has become a reflex to be polite, soften disagreement, ease awkwardness and navigate social norms.
She was commissioned by Babbel, a language learning site, to analyse use of the word, so that its learners could better understand its different meanings.
