it goes without saying

phrase

"it-goes-without-saying" is a 19-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“it goes without saying” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
22
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - It is understood without being said (but will be or was said anyway).

Corpus desk

Index EN-it-goes-without-saying · it goes without saying · English

it goes without saying · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 22 letters
  • VOW-9 9 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for it goes without saying
PropertyValue
Headwordit goes without saying
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPhrase
Letters22
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “it goes without saying” in English

it goes without sayingsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

it goes without saying is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "It is understood without being said (but will be or was said anyway).".

No generated misspelling entries exist for it goes without saying in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of French ça va sans dire. The correct English form is it goes without saying, spelled I-T- -G-O-E-S- -W-I-T-H-O-U-T- -S-A-Y-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    It is understood without being said (but will be or was said anyway).

Etymology

Calque of French ça va sans dire.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "it goes without saying"?
"it goes without saying" is spelled I-T- -G-O-E-S- -W-I-T-H-O-U-T- -S-A-Y-I-N-G.
What does "it goes without saying" mean?
As a phrase, "it goes without saying" means: It is understood without being said (but will be or was said anyway).
What is the origin of the word "it goes without saying"?
Calque of French ça va sans dire. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list