11 Better Ways To Say “Good Luck” (Formal & Friendly)

We all love saying “good luck.” It’s a common phrase that gets around in English, and we all know what it means. However, did you know that there are alternatives to the phrase? This article will look at some of the best ways to say “good luck.”

What Can I Say Instead Of “Good Luck”?

There are plenty of options we can use in place of “good luck.” We can give both formal or friendly ones, and the following will be all you need to know about them:

• Best of luck
• Fingers crossed
• All the best
• Be careful
• I hope everything turns out fine
• Wishing you all the best
• Wishing you lots of luck
• You were made for this
• You’ll do great
• You don’t need luck
• Blow them away

The preferred versions are “best of luck” for formal situations and “fingers crossed” for informal situations. They are the most common ones you’ll come across from native speakers. It’s worth learning about them so you can use them correctly yourself.

Best Of Luck

“Best of luck” is a great formal phrase we can use to say “good luck” to someone. We use “Best of” in many formal situations to show someone we care enough to wish them well. It also works well when we aren’t too familiar with the person we speak to.

You don’t always have to be familiar with someone to say “best of luck.” In fact, that’s what makes it so good in many formal situations. After all, we can’t be expected to know every coworker or colleague we’ve ever had.

There will always be a few who we simply do not know. Therefore, “best of luck” is great for them when they are moving on to do something new.

These examples will help you understand all there is to know about “best of luck:”

• Best of luck to you! I know you’ll do well.
• I wish you the best of luck, though I’m sure you probably don’t need it.
• Best of luck! I’m so envious of your new position.

Fingers Crossed

“Fingers crossed” is one of the most informal phrases we can use. It’s a great one because it’s an idiom that takes the action of crossing one’s fingers and turns it into a phrase. It means “good luck” as a gesture, so the phrase means “good luck,” too.

If you aren’t familiar with the gesture of crossing your fingers, it means that someone is hoping for the best. We can use it when we want good things to happen to other people or us.

It’s only natural that the phrase became synonymous with “good luck.” We are implying that we are crossing our fingers for their future (even if we do not physically make the gesture).

These examples will show you how it works:

• I’ve got my fingers crossed for you to start your new job.
• Fingers crossed! I’m sure you’ll do so well when you move.
• Fingers crossed! I think you’re going to be the new champion!

All The Best

“All the best” is another common phrase. It works both formally and informally. We usually say it to people who we might not see again. It works best to refer to things happening in their future, even if we are not going to be present to find out how they get on.

You can use “all the best” in the following ways:

• All the best to you, sir! I’m going to miss you.
• All the best, Fred. I know you’ll find what you’re looking for out there.
• All the best then! It’s been a long time coming for you, hasn’t it?

Be Careful

“Be careful” is a slightly different phrase to the others on this list. We can use it to mean “good luck,” but we typically say it to show that we care about the person’s wellbeing as well. We use “be careful” even when someone isn’t going to do something dangerous.

While the implication is that someone may be in danger and thus has to “be careful,” this doesn’t always need to be true.

It’s common for family members to say “be careful” when saying goodbye to each other. They’re not saying that they expect their family to go out and seek danger, but “be careful” shows that there is a lot of love for them to give, and they don’t want them to come to harm.

These examples will help you understand what we mean about this:

• Be careful out there! I know you’re going to do so well.
• Be careful! I wish you all the best with the future, though.
• I hope you’ll be careful. I’m sure it’ll be well worth the adventure, though.

I Hope Everything Turns Out Fine

“I hope everything turns out fine” is a phrase similar to “good luck.” We use this when we know someone has a difficult journey ahead of them. They might have a difficult thing planned or going through a rough patch. We use “fine” to hope they come out okay on the other end.

“I hope everything turns out fine” mostly works when you’re not overly familiar with a person. You won’t typically say something like this to a friend or family member because it doesn’t come with as much obvious care as some of the other phrases.

Still, these examples will show you how it works:

• Good luck, and I hope everything turns out fine with whatever comes next.
• I hope everything turns out fine for you. Though, I’m sure it will do!
• I hope everything turns out fine. Please write to me if there’s anything you need from me, though.

Wishing You All The Best

“Wishing you all the best” is an extension of “all the best.” We can use the phrase “wishing you” to show that we are the ones doing the “wishing.” While “all the best” implies this in the meaning anyway, “wishing you all the best” makes sure it is clear.

The two phrases are synonymous. It’s up to you whether you want to include “wishing you” or not. We can use both in formal or informal situations, and there are no real differences that we need to highlight.

Here are a few examples to show you how it works:

• Wishing you all the best for whatever’s to come in the future.
• We’re wishing you all the best! Not that you’ll need it.
• Wishing you all the best over here, son. I know you’ll do so well.

Wishing You Lots Of Luck

“Wishing you lots of luck” is another great phrase using “wishing you.” This time, it’s more common for “wishing you” to be kept because the phrase “lots of luck” on its own isn’t all that common. We use it when we want someone to succeed in something.

Here are a few more examples to help you understand this one:

• I’m wishing you lots of luck on your journeys!
• Wishing you lots of luck, mate!
• Wishing you lots of luck! Though, I’m sure you’ve got this all under control.

You Were Made For This

“You were made for this” is an encouraging statement we can make about someone. If they are nervous about something coming up in their future, “you were made for this” will show them that we believe in them and we think they have made the right choice.

These examples will help you understand it:

• Don’t worry about it! You were made for this, man.
• You were made for this, and I’ll bet you’ll see that soon enough.
• You were made for this! If anyone can do it, you can.

You’ll Do Great

“You’ll do great” is another way to show how much we believe in someone. It’s similar to wishing someone “good luck” because we expect them to do really well on their new venture. It’s a great way to show that we care.

Here are a few ways that it can work:

• Look, you’ll do great. I don’t know why you’re worrying so much!
• You’ll do great! Don’t fret! It’s time to give it a try.
• I believe in you, and I know you’ll do great!

You Don’t Need Luck

“You don’t need luck” is a dismissive statement, though it’s still used positively. We use it when someone says, “wish me luck.” It’s supposed to encourage them and show them that “luck” is not what they need because they already have the ability to succeed.

These examples will help you to understand it:

• You don’t need luck from me! You’ve got this!
• You don’t need luck, buddy. You just need to calm down and show them who’s boss.
• Oh, trust me. You don’t need luck!

Blow Them Away

“Blow them away” is an encouraging idiom we use to show someone they’re good enough for something. We use it when someone has to perform or when they are going to meet new people, and they’re scared of the first impression they might set.

These examples will show you all you need to know:

• Blow them away, buddy! You’ve got the voice of an angel.
• Go out there and blow them away!
• Just blow them away! They won’t even know what hit them!

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