What Is The Difference Between "All The Best" And "Best Of Luck"?
"All the best" should be used when you’re saying farewell to someone (usually when they’ve got a new job or something that means you may not see them again). "Best of luck" should be used when you simply want to wish someone luck at that very moment.
The finality of the phrase "all the best" means it’s often reserved more for goodbyes than anything else. You’ll often see "good luck" cards for former employees with a new job signed with messages including "all the best."
On the other side of that, "best of luck" isn’t a final goodbye. Usually, you can say it straight after you want to wish someone luck for something (like a sporting event or a large bet). After they’ve acted out the thing you wished them luck for, you return to normality.
It’s also worth mentioning that for most native speakers, there isn’t much of a noticeable difference. Whether you use American English or British English, most speakers aren’t going to tell you you’re using the wrong words if you use one in place of the other.
Watch the video: Only 1 percent of ... x
Is "All The Best" Or "Best Of Luck" Used The Most?
We thought it would make sense to include a comparison of the two in modern usage. You’ll also get to see how well they’ve performed in history to see how they work.
Both phrases seem to be a truncated version of the same phrase:
If we wanted to split this phrase down further, we’d end up finding both of the phrases inside it.
• I wish you (all the best) of luck.
• I wish you all the (best of luck).
For this reason, it’s not clear why "best of luck" only started to appear in the graph around the 1900s. However, it never really took off to quite the same extent as "all the best" did.
As we’ve mentioned previously, both phrases are interchangeable. You can use one over the other at any point, and no native speaker is going to ask you why you’re doing it. Just choose the one that works best for you.
7 Examples Of How To Use "All The Best" In A Sentence
While the two phrases are considered the same to most English users, we want to highlight the difference more apparently. We’ll run you through some examples of how to use the phrases in sentences to see the major differences.
"All the best" is used as a final goodbye. It’s expected that you wish someone luck with their future endeavors, but you might not get a chance to see them again to find out how they get on.
• Sorry to see you go, but all the best in your new job!
• From all of us here, all the best with whatever comes next!
• I wish you all the best with your future endeavors.
• All the best with your new role in the army!
• I honestly wish you all the best and hope I get the chance to see you again.
From these examples, we can see how "all the best" is seen as a more final farewell when we use it. It’s important to make this distinction, as we don’t often say "all the best" when we want to wish someone luck that we know we’ll see again.
For example, if someone was about to compete in an event, we wouldn’t want to say "all the best" because it seems like we’re saying goodbye. That’s why "best of luck" is better for those situations.
7 Examples Of How To Use "Best Of Luck" In A Sentence
Next, we’ll show you some examples of using "best of luck" in a sentence and how it’s used in a more general sense. Typically, we want to quickly wish someone luck before they take part in an event.
"Best of luck" is used in a more general way to wish someone luck. We want to encourage them to do well, but we know that we’ll see them again after the event to find out how it went (or we’ll be there watching them).
• Best of luck with your competition today!
• I wish you the best of luck with your interview!
• Best of luck at your new job, son! Let me know how your first day goes!
• Best of luck with that bet! That’s a lot of money you could win!
• Best of luck! You’re certainly going to need it!
• I think it’s time to say best of luck and let you focus on the competition!
• Best of luck and see you soon!
"Best of luck" is more common to find at the very start of the sentence. That’s because it doesn’t usually need a pronoun to announce it like "I" or "you." "Best of luck" works well on its own and is even used as an exclamation in some cases.
Whenever we use it, you can see that we intend to see the person again afterward anyway. There isn’t a final goodbye associated with the phrase, meaning we only wish someone well for whatever the next thing for them is.
Is It Ever Correct To Use "All The Best Of Luck"?
We’ve mentioned earlier how the phrases both come from a longer phrase "I wish you all the best of luck." That brings into question the idea of using "all the best of luck" as a phrase.
"All the best of luck" is correct to say, but it’s very rarely used in English. Most people either choose "all the best" or "best of luck" but never combine the two in such a way.
Does "Best Of Luck" And "All The Best" Mean Goodbye?
We’ve already explained most of the meanings behind the words, so hopefully, this part will be quite obvious to you!
"Best of luck" does not mean goodbye, but "all the best" generally does. However, both terms are also interchangeable, meaning you can use "best of luck" to say goodbye if you want to (or you could use "all the best" to wish someone luck for an upcoming event).
The typically expected meaning of each phrase means that only "all the best" is similar to goodbye.
Is It Rude To Say "Best Of Luck"?
If you’re ever worried about writing "best of luck" in any form, you don’t have to be. Thankfully, there aren’t many rules that come with wishing someone "best of luck," so many people don’t think of it as rude.
"Best of luck" isn’t rude to say, though you might have better options in a formal setting. Most people use it all the time to wish someone well, so if you like the look of it, you can use it. No native speaker considers it rude (unless it’s used sarcastically).
Is "All The Best" Informal?
"All the best" is not informal and works well in a business setting if you want to wish a former employee good luck in their future. You can also use it in casual settings. It works in both formal and informal settings.
4 Better Ways To Wish Someone All The Best
• Take care
• Good luck
• Break a leg
• Godspeed
The preferred way to wish someone all the best while also saying goodbye is "take care." It’s a friendly way to say goodbye while making sure they look after themselves. It’s also used commonly in more formal settings, making it the perfect alternative.
Professional Wishes
Let’s go over some ways to use all the alternatives in a professional way. We won’t include "break a leg" or "Godspeed" because they’re only ever used as friendly wishes.
• Take care at your new job and let me know if you ever need anything.
• Good luck with your new career.
Friendly Wishes
All of the phrases we mentioned are good as friendly wishes, so we’ll include them all.
• Take care and see you again soon!
• Good luck with your exams tomorrow, mate.
• Break a leg up there and show them what you’re made of!
• Godspeed to you! I believe in you!
祝你好运 / 祝你好运啊
pinyin. zhù nǐ hǎo yùn / zhù nǐ hǎo yùn 'a – literal. wish you good luck liberal. good luck
好好儿干啊
pinyin. hǎo hǎor gàn 'a – literal. well to work liberal. do your best (for this job)
In Chinese 干 has the meaning of "to do", 好好儿干 means "to do it well". We can use this expression to encourage someone to do a good job.
好好儿考啊
pinyin. hǎo hǎor kǎo 'a – literal. well take exam liberal. do your best (for this exam)
Just like 好好儿干, we can also use 好好儿考 to encourage someone. Since 考 means "to take exam", we can say 好好儿考 to wish someone good luck in an exam.
加油
pinyin. jiā yóu – literal. add oil liberal. c'mon
加油 is a very well-known Chinese phrase. It literally means "add oil", but is used to encourage someone before they do a task, give a speech, participate in a competition or take a exam...
我给你加油
pinyin. wǒ gěi nǐ jiā yóu – literal. i for you add oil liberal.I'm rooting for you
Instead of 我给你加油 we can also say 我为你加油.
祝你成功
pinyin. zhù nǐ chéng gōng – literal. wish you success liberal. wish you success
祝你成功 literally means wish you success in Chinese. This expression does not specify "wish you success 'in what field' or'on what aspect'", so it's okay to say for a lot of situations, a very common expression of how to say good luck in Chinese.
你一定会成功的 / 你肯定会成功的
pinyin. nǐ yí dìng huì chéng gōng de / nǐ kěn dìng huì chéng gōng de – literal. you definitely will succeed liberal. You'll definitely succeed
If you want someone to know that you believe in them 100%, instead of 祝你成功, you can say 你一定会成功的 or 你肯定会成功的. 一定 and 肯定 are two adverbs that emphasize affirmativeness. They can be translated as "undoubtedly", "definitely", "surely" or "certainly"...
祝你顺利
pinyin. zhù nǐ shùn lì – literal. wish you smooth liberal. I hope everything goes well
In Chinese 顺利 means for something or someone to go smoothly. Say 祝你顺利 when you want to wish someone everything goes well in Chinese.
祝你考试顺利
pinyin. zhù nǐ kǎo shì shùn lì – literal. wish you exam smooth liberal. I hope your test goes well
Since 祝你顺利 does not specify "which aspect" or "what field" you wish them to go smoothly, you can say 祝你考试顺利 to wish someone good luck in Chinese with their exam.
祝你工作顺利
pinyin. zhù nǐ gōng zuò shùn lì – literal. wish you work smooth liberal. I hope everything goes well with your work
And if you want to wish someone good luck in Chinese with their work, you can say 祝你工作顺利.
祝你马到成功
pinyin. zhù nǐ mǎ dào chéng gōng – literal. wish you "horse-arriving" success liberal. wishing you rapid success
马到成功 is a Chinese Idiom, 成语 chéngyǔ, it means "to get instant success". In the ancient time, armies rode horses to battle with the other side, so 马到成功 implies that "as soon as our horses get there, we have our success(victory)".
我相信你
pinyin. wǒ xiāng xìn nǐ – literal. I trust you liberal. I believe in you
Nothing encourages people more than one simple expression "I believe in you". In Chinese you can say 我相信你 to show your confidence in someone.
我支持你
pinyin. wǒ zhī chí nǐ – literal. I support you liberal. I support you
我支持你 means you will support someone on their decision and their work.
没成功别回来见我
pinyin. méi chéng gōng bié huí lái jiàn wǒ – literal. haven't succeeded, don't come back to see me liberal. don't come back if you didn't succeed
没成功别来见我 is a special one. You only say this to someone VERY close to you. This is not a threat, just to show that you know how much it means and how long it might take for them to succeed. And you also know that when you meet them again, it's probably when they succeed and come back.
Do you know some other useful ways of how to say good luck in Chinese?
It's kind
The primary reason to send career wishes is it's a nice thing to do. People like it when others recognize their accomplishments and take the time to send a message. In other cases, the person might be nervous about the new challenges ahead of them, and the warm wishes can help them feel better about their situation.
It can continue the relationship
Another benefit of sending a congratulatory message, especially to a colleague, is it can help you maintain the relationship after the person leaves. Staying connected with past colleagues is an important part of networking since you might work with this person again in the future. Sending a congratulatory message helps end your current working relationship wiht a positive tone.
It improves team camaraderie
When a person is leaving a team, getting together to wish them well in their career can improve the camaraderie of the remaining employees. It shows the team members care about one another, even if they're no longer part of the team. This can help the entire department feel appreciated, knowing that each person would likely receive the same treatment if they left.
Best wishes to a friend on a new career
When sending best wishes to a friend, you can keep the message informal and light. Examples include:
I am so proud of you for your new job! You worked hard to earn this new role, and you deserve it.
All your hard work has finally paid off. Congratulations on the new job! I'm sure your new coworkers are going to love you.
I was so happy to hear you received a promotion! Congrats!
Congratulations on your new job! It makes me happy to see you reaching the goals you set for yourself.
I am so excited for you! With this promotion, that means you can pay for our next dinner!
Well done on the new career. You're going to show them they made the right decision in hiring you!
We've known each other for so long, it's crazy to think about where we both started and where we are now. Congratulations on the new job, I can't wait to see what else you achieve!
Best wishes to a family member on a new career
You can write a more sentimental best wishes note to a family member. Examples include:
I'm so proud of you! This new job will likely bring new challenges, but I'm sure you're up to the task.
Congratulations on your new job! I always knew you were destined for great things.
Getting your first job is an exciting time. Make the most of it and do your best. Congratulations!
Congratulations, my love. It's inspiring to see all your hard work paying off. I'm excited to continue this journey with you.
Dear brother/sister, all the best for you in your new position! I always thought I was the smarter sibling, but clearly I was wrong!
Dear son/daughter, you continue to make us so proud. Your employer just made the best decision of their lives in hiring you. Congratulations and good luck!
When you told me you were promoted, I was so happy for you. Now, I think I'm even happier for your employer, who gets to watch you work up close.
Best wishes to a colleague on a new career
When sending best wishes to a colleague, keep the message professional. You can also reference your time working together. Examples include:
All the best on your new adventure! We're going to miss you around here.
May your new job bring you plenty of happiness and fulfillment. Congratulations!
I'm going to miss seeing you at team meetings! Congratulations and good luck in your new position!
Best wishes on entering your new career field. I hope it's everything you want it to be.
Well done on the promotion! You were always the hardest working person in the office, so it's no surprise. Congratulations and good luck!
It's been a pleasure getting to know you professionally over the past few years. Good luck with your new job, and please stay in touch.
It's not going to be the same around the office without you, but I'm very happy to see you earned a promotion. Good luck!
Your new job sounds perfect for you, you're going to love it. If you're ever back in town, let's get lunch!
Best wishes to a manager on a new career
In most cases, write best wishes to a manager professionally. However, you can be more informal if you have a close relationship with them. Examples include:
I'**ve really enjoyed working for you. Good luck with your new organization, and congrats!
Thank you for your mentorship and advice over the years. It's been an invaluable resource that I'm going to miss. Enjoy your new job!
You're one of the best managers I've ever had. It's no wonder another company wanted you! Good luck, and you'll be missed!
Congratulations on your new role. Don't forget about us as you ascend the corporate ladder!
While we haven't worked together long, I feel I learned a lot from you in a short time. Best wishes for your new career, and I hope we work together again in the future.
Good luck with your new adventure! It's been a real pleasure working for you over the past few years.