You should sleep.
Source: tatoeba (1311)
Should
/ʃəd/
Synonyms for "should" (40 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (8)
Verb(4 words)
be expedientbe forcedbe in forbe necessary
Strong matches (12)
Related words (20)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: ought, advisable, apparent, appropriate, be expedient.
- Sentence evidence is available for should, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "should".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "should"
Keep "should" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "should" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "should", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "should" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
2 entriesconditional clausemodal verb
More specific
8 entriesbest practiceconditional sentenceexpected valuehave toif clauselikely outcomemustrecommended practice
Collocations
6 entriesshould beshould considershould examineshould haveshould includeshould not
Translations
107 translations across 47 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ὀφείλω verb (expressing obligation)
Arabic
3 entries- مِنْ اَلْمَفْرُوض أَنْ verb (expressing obligation)
- مِنْ اَلْمُفْتَرَض أَنْ verb (expressing obligation)
- يَنْبَغِي أَنْ verb (expressing obligation)
Azerbaijani
3 entries- -malı verb (expressing obligation)
- -məli verb (expressing obligation)
- gərək verb (expressing obligation)
Belarusian
3 entries- паві́нен verb (expressing obligation)
- паві́нна verb (expressing obligation)
- паві́нны verb (expressing obligation)
Bengali
3 entries- উচিত verb (expressing opinion)
- কথা verb (expressing obligation)
- যদি verb (if; in case of)
Catalan
3 entries- deure verb (expressing obligation)
- haver de verb (expressing obligation)
- tenir de verb (expressing obligation)
Chinese
2 entries- 應該 /应该 verb (expressing obligation)
- 著 verb (expressing obligation)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 應該 /应该 verb (expressing obligation)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 倘若 verb (if; in case of)
- 如果 verb (if; in case of)
- 應當 /应当 verb (expressing obligation)
- 應該 /应该 verb (expressing obligation)
Cornish
4 entries- y kodh dhe verb (expressing obligation)
- y tal dhe verb (expressing opinion)
- y talvia dhe verb (expressing opinion)
- y tegoodh dhe verb (expressing obligation)
Czech
1 entries- měl by verb (expressing obligation)
Danish
3 entries- burde verb (expressing obligation)
- skulle verb (expressing obligation)
- skulle verb (if; in case of)
Dutch
3 entries- mochten verb (if; in case of)
- moeten verb (expressing obligation)
- zou moeten verb (expressing obligation)
Esperanto
1 entries- devi verb (expressing obligation)
Finnish
1 entries- pitäisi verb (expressing obligation)
French
3 entries- Conditional form of devoir verb (expressing obligation)
- Conditional form of devoir verb (expressing opinion)
- si verb (if; in case of)
German
3 entries- müsste verb (expressing obligation)
- sollen verb (expressing obligation)
- sollte verb (expressing obligation)
Hebrew
2 entries- כְּדַאי לְ־ verb (expressing opinion)
- צָרִיךְ verb (expressing obligation)
Hindi
1 entries- चाहिए verb (expressing obligation)
Hungarian
4 entries- -j verb (expressing obligation)
- ha …… -na/-ne verb (if; in case of)
- kellene verb (expressing opinion)
- kéne verb (expressing opinion)
Icelandic
1 entries- eiga að verb (expressing obligation)
Japanese
1 entries- ...べきである verb (expressing obligation)
Khmer
1 entries- គួរ verb (expressing obligation)
Korean
1 entries- 해야 한다 verb (expressing obligation)
Latin
4 entries- dēbeō verb (expressing opinion)
- nefās est verb (expressing obligation)
- nōn licet verb (expressing obligation)
- oportet verb (expressing obligation)
Lithuanian
1 entries- turėti verb (expressing obligation)
Lower Sorbian
1 entries- dejaś verb (expressing obligation)
Macedonian
3 entries- ́ако verb (if; in case of)
- до́колку verb (if; in case of)
- тре́ба verb (expressing obligation)
Malay
1 entries- patut verb (expressing obligation)
Norwegian
2 entries- burde verb (expressing obligation)
- skulle verb (if; in case of)
Norwegian Bokmål
2 entries- burde verb (expressing opinion)
- skulle verb (expressing opinion)
Old English
1 entries- sċulan verb (expressing obligation)
Persian
1 entries- باید verb (expressing obligation)
Polish
3 entries- powinien verb (expressing obligation)
- powinna verb (expressing obligation)
- powinno verb (expressing obligation)
Portuguese
3 entries- caso verb (if; in case of)
- dever verb (expressing obligation)
- se verb (if; in case of)
Romanian
1 entries- ar trebui verb (expressing obligation)
Russian
4 entries- до́лжен verb (expressing obligation)
- е́жели verb (if; in case of)
- е́сли verb (if; in case of)
- обя́зан verb (expressing obligation)
Scots
1 entries- shud verb (expressing obligation)
Spanish
4 entries- Conditional form of deber verb (expressing obligation)
- Conditional form of deber verb (expressing opinion)
- haber de verb (expressing obligation)
- si verb (if; in case of)
Swedish
4 entries- borde verb (expressing opinion)
- bör verb (expressing opinion)
- om verb (if; in case of)
- skola verb (expressing obligation)
Thai
1 entries- ควร verb (expressing obligation)
Turkish
1 entries- -meli, -malı verb (expressing obligation)
Ukrainian
2 entries- ва́рто verb (expressing obligation)
- повинен verb (expressing obligation)
Urdu
4 entries- چاہئیں verb (expressing obligation)
- چاہئیے verb (expressing obligation)
- چاہئے verb (expressing obligation)
- چاہیئں verb (expressing obligation)
Vietnamese
1 entries- nên verb (expressing obligation)
Welsh
2 entries- dylu verb (expressing obligation)
- os verb (if; in case of)
Yiddish
1 entries- זאָלן verb (expressing obligation)
Sample sentences
52 total sentences available.
When you're beginning to look like the photo in your passport, you should go on a holiday.
Source: tatoeba (1551)
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Source: tatoeba (1577)
You should have listened to me.
Source: tatoeba (1726)
Showing 4 of 52 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "should"?
Closest matches include ought, advisable, apparent, appropriate, be expedient.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "should"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.