Have you heard of the word Guesstimate?
By greengal
@greengal (4286)
United States
March 2, 2007 12:48pm CST
Guesstimate in another word for estimate. It means almost the same and can be used interchangeably with estimate.
Guesstimate is a blend of the words guess and estimate. It describes a process of estimation that includes an element of guesswork, and implies that the result of the guesstimate will be less reliable than an estimation based on more confident information. Like the word estimate, guesstimate may be used as a verb or a noun (with the same change in pronunciation)
The word is usually not considered correct in formal English. Most if not all users of the word are aware of this and use the word in a humorous or informal way. However, both the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster include definitions for "guesstimate" and, according to the OED, it has been used in print as early as 1936.
(Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guesstimate)
My husband's colleague uses this word very often and he hardly uses the word estimate. I think guesstimate is quite uncommon, atleast as far as I know. I in fact didn't even know it existed till my hubby told me about it yesterday.lol
Do you use the word 'guesstimate' or know somebody who uses it?
4 people like this
13 responses
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
2 Mar 07
I do know some and they say it is far more explanatory than estimate because there are many people who do not know that an estimate is not an accurate amount.
2 people like this
@APMorison (424)
• United States
3 Mar 07
Except that an estimate is supposed to be predicated by at least cursory research, like materials pricing with an average of hours of labor for a similar project.
A Guesstimate doesn't bother with any of the preliminaries its just a WAG (Wild A* Guess) it has little in common with a properly done estimate.
1 person likes this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
2 Mar 07
LOL I thought that it was just a hillbilly term used in my community. I hear that word on a regular basis. The people around here seem to have their own language. The words they use are not even in the dictionary. LOL
2 people like this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
3 Mar 07
If the English language isn't complex enough without adding to it! English I believe is the hardest language to learn and is it any wonder? I've never heard of this word until you mentioned it, I can't say I'll adopt it into my way of speaking but it does prove you can learn something new every day! Thanks.
1 person likes this
@LadyLeene (584)
• United States
2 Mar 07
Guesstimate gets on my nerves. An estimate is simply an educated guess, so it seems stupid and redundant to combine it with the word guess.
2 people like this
@ygkchaitu (387)
• India
3 Mar 07
I haven't heard of any such word but when i read it aloud i felt it has something to do with guessing. Also it ended with estimate. It is a combination of Guess and Estimate. Probable meaning could be estimating through guesswork.
And i see that my etymology is good. Well i don't use it because i never heard. That also means i don't know anyone who uses it.
May be from now on i will use it more often.
1 person likes this
@coolloupe (40)
• United States
3 Mar 07
ha I used to use that word all the time when I was younger and less educated. If I used it now I would feel really stupid saying it.
1 person likes this
@APMorison (424)
• United States
3 Mar 07
I don't like the word because it indicates giving an opinion that has not had even the cursory research required to do an estimate.
Its not only bad grammar, but a bad 'judgment call' and a worse offer of advice than a truthful "I don't know, but I'd be happy to look into it for you."
Guesstimates came about because people did not want to wait for a more accurately researched opinion. Sad but true, instant gratification, but at a serious cost of accuracy and reliability.
1 person likes this
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
3 Mar 07
Ok, I admit it I am a "guesstimate" person, I rarely use estimate when talking. Now when writing I use estimate. I never thought of looking but just figured it was something someone made up, slang, and never thought of it being in the dictionary.
1 person likes this
@hezoid (2144)
•
7 Mar 07
I hear this word used often, and have to admit that i even use it myself too. I think it has a slightly different meaing to estimate and guess, it's a kind of half-way word. Somewhere in between! We probably don't really need it, but i guess it's just the way vocabulary evolves! I'd say estimate means an educated guess, guess obviously just means a stab in the dark, while guestimate means a not-so educated guess, something more off the top of your head than researched.
1 person likes this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
3 Mar 07
Interesting word you've got there!
For me, I normally use the 2 words separately. I feel that "estimate" is more for numbers so unless you need to make a guess for numbers, I will use "guess" instead of "estimate". ;-)
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
3 Mar 07
I have seen guesstimate and estimate being used in different context. An estimate is made usually based on some previous statistics whereas a guesstimate is made more from a gut feeling.
So usually an estimate is based on a trend or a mathematical extension of available facts more like extrapolation whereas guesstimate is as Jack Welch would say "Straight from the guts."
Cheers!
Ram
1 person likes this
