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Voynich Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Had better vs had best

Are there any differences between "You had better hurry" and "You had best hurry"? Thanks in advance!
  

Top answer

The latter is informal. I see no difference in meaning.

— GPY

  • The latter is informal.
  • I see no difference in meaning.
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3 Answers
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The latter is informal. I see no difference in meaning.
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GPYThe latter is informal.
Huh! I would have said the former is less formal!
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Hmm, I wonder now whether "had best" has a kind of split personality. In the UK, people say things like "Well, I'd best be going!" or "You'd best tell her about it". To me, these seem slightly less standard (more colloquial, possibly more dialect) than the equivalents with "better", though the meaning seems identical. However, it seems that "had best" is also used in formal or literary sentences,
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