Saying “good night” in English goes far beyond the well-known “good night”. In fact, there are several expressions that have the same purpose of greeting or saying goodbye to someone at the end of the day, and you should use each of them in a different type of situation.

There are more formal ones, which appear in the sentence when we arrive at a place, and also those that are much more informal, which we can use when we send a message or talk to a friend.

Knowing when to choose each one will make your communication even better and more fluid.. So, find out what these different ways of wishing a good night in English are and how to apply each one of them. Check out a complete explanation on the subject and examples of sentences with these expressions here at blog from the CCAA!

Check out 8 ways to say “good night” in English!

We have brought you options, from the most formal to the most informal, to say “good night” in English, both when you are arriving at a place and when you are saying goodbye. Of course, not all of these alternatives presented are literally translated to the words “good” and “night”, but they maintain the denotative meaning of wishing someone well or greeting someone.

We will also provide the correct pronunciation of each of the expressions so that you can practice your speech and use them without fear in the middle of a dialogue, in addition to understand them even when spoken quickly by a native speaker. With the examples we have provided, you can see the correct way to write “good night” in English. So check out each option!

1. Good night

The best known way to say “good night” in English is “good night”, an expression that is somewhere between formal and informal. However, this option cannot be used at any time of the night: It is only used to say goodbye to someone or when you are going to sleep..

See some examples of how to use this expression correctly in a conversation!

• “Good night, guys. See you tomorrow.” – Good evening, everyone. See you tomorrow!;
• “I'm going to sleep. Good night.” – I’m going to sleep. Good night!;
• “That was today's video. Good night and see you next time!” – That was today’s video. Good night and see you next time!;

correct pronunciation: good morning.

2. Good evening

The “good evening” is another way to wish a good night. However, unlike the previous option, this one is used when you greet someone after dark or when you arrive somewhere at that time. That's why this alternative is considered a Arrival Greeting, that is, an arrival greeting.

We talk more about others greetings in the text “Greetings or greetings in English: get to know the main ones!”. But for now, see some examples of the use of “good evening” in a few sentences:

• “Good evening, everyone. Am I late?” – Good evening, everyone. Am I late?;
• “Good evening. We have a table reserved for dinner” – Good evening. We have a table reserved for dinner;
• “Good evening. I would like two tickets for the movie.” – Good evening, I would like two tickets for the movie.

correct pronunciation: good iív-ning.

3. Night-night

“Night-night” is the most informal option for the “good night”. It can be used in a conversation with friends, in a post on social media and you have certainly heard it during a series or film that you like. It is also used to say goodbye to someone. and it is the equivalent of when we just say “night!” here in Brazil to shorten the sentence. See the examples!

• “Night-night. I'll call you in the morning.” – Good night. I’ll call you in the morning!;
• “Night-night. Don't forget to do your homework before you go to bed.” – Good night, don’t forget your homework before going to bed.;
• “Night-night. I am already looking forward to the next date.” – Good evening, I’m already looking forward to the next meeting!

correct pronunciation: nait nait.

4. Sleep tight

This is another way to say goodbye to someone, but it is usually used when you are speaking to someone close to you or very dear to you. The expression “sleep tight” means “sleep well”, although the word “tight” means “tight” when used alone. Here are some examples to use in a sentence:

• “Sleep tight, honey! If you need anything, I'll be in the next room.” – Sleep well, dear. If you need anything, I'll be in the next room;
• “Sleep tight. See you in class!” – Sleep well. See you in class!;
• “Sleep tight. Don't forget to brush your teeth!” – Sleep well. Don't forget to brush your teeth!

correct pronunciation: sslíip tait.

5. Have a good night's sleep

This is another way you can say something that means “good night” but actually means “sleep well.” It also It has a more affectionate tone and can be used in informal conversations.. Check out some sentences in which it can be used:

• “See you tomorrow. Have a good night's sleep.” – See you tomorrow. Sleep well!;
• “Have a good night's sleep, and get the rest you need.” – Sleep well and rest as much as you need.;
• “Have a good night's sleep. I love you!” – Sleep well. I love you!

correct pronunciation: rráv êi gud sslíip.

6. Sweet dreams

This is the simplest way to say “sweet dreams” in English. It is a way of wishing the other person a good night, so it is also considered a greeting. Check out how it is used in everyday sentences!

• “Have sweet dreams. See you tomorrow!” – Sweet dreams. See you tomorrow!;
• “I need to go now. Have a sweet dreams!” – I have to go now. Have sweet dreams!;
• “It's already time to bed. Sweet dreams!” – It's time to go to bed. Sweet dreams!

correct pronunciation: suit dRíiMz.

7. Sleep well

“Sleep well” It is also a way of saying “good night”, its literal translation means “sleep well” and is used when you need to say goodbye to someone.. You can use this expression alone in your sentence or combine it with other options that we have already presented. here.

See some situations in which you can apply this alternative!

• “Good night. Sleep well!” – Good night, sleep well!;
• “I'm going to turn off the light now. Sleep well!” – I'm going to turn off the light now. Sleep well!;
• “Work was tiring today, so I'm going to bed now.Sleep well!” – Work was tiring today, so I'm going to bed now. Sleep well!

correct pronunciation: sslíip uéL.

8. Get a good night's sleep

When you want to make your farewell more complete and even with a more formal tone, you can use “get a good night's sleep!” and you will be saying “have a good night’s sleep!” Choose this option when you are talking to someone older, with whom you are not as intimate.

Check out some examples!

• “Get a good night's sleep. See you at the office!” – Have a good night's sleep. See you at the office!;
• “It was a pleasure to meet you. Get a good night's sleep!” – It was a pleasure meeting you. Have a good night’s sleep!;
• “Thank you very much for helping me deal with my emergency. Get a good night's sleep!” – Thank you for attending to my emergency. Have a good night's sleep!

correct pronunciation: get good naits sslíip.

Now that you know how to say and write “good night” in English, You won't need to keep repeating the same old expressions. And to further increase your vocabulary, also check out the content on the most used words in English, here at blog from the CCAA!

See you in the next post!