10 exercises — how "to put it bluntly" signals that a softened version of the truth is about to be dropped in favor of direct honesty.
Quick reference
To put it bluntly: signals a softened truth is about to be dropped for direct honesty
Fixed word order: "to" + "put" + "it" + "bluntly" — object "it" is required
Close synonym: "not to sugarcoat it"
Opposite: "to be diplomatic about it"
Register: neutral-to-informal, common in both spoken feedback and written reviews
0 / 10 completed
1 / 10
A code reviewer writes: "___ , this pull request shouldn't have passed review — it has no tests and swallows every exception." Which phrase best signals blunt, unsoftened honesty about to follow?
To put it bluntly is a fixed infinitive phrase meaning "to state this directly, without softening it." "To put it blunt" wrongly uses the adjective instead of the adverb, "to put bluntly it" scrambles the word order, and "for putting it bluntly" wrongly uses a gerund with "for."
2 / 10
Which sentence uses "to put it bluntly" correctly?
"To put it bluntly, this architecture won't scale past ten thousand users without a rewrite" correctly introduces a harsh, unsoftened technical assessment. It cannot introduce a bare future plan, a polite instruction, or a scheduled future event, since those aren't candid judgments.
3 / 10
Fill the blank: "___ , the current on-call rotation is unsustainable and people are going to burn out."
To put it bluntly has a fixed word order: "to" + "put" + "it" + "bluntly." The other options scramble this into invalid, meaningless sequences.
4 / 10
Which pair correctly distinguishes "to put it bluntly" from "to be diplomatic about it"?
"To put it bluntly, this code is unmaintainable" drops all softening. "To be diplomatic about it, this code has some room for improvement" deliberately softens the same underlying judgment. They're near opposites in tone despite describing similar content.
5 / 10
A performance review draft reads: "___ , the service has been down more than it's been up this quarter, and that's not acceptable." Which best completes the sentence?
To put it bluntly is the correct, fixed form. The other options scramble the required word order into invalid phrases.
6 / 10
Which sentence contains an error in the use of "to put it bluntly"?
"To put it bluntly that we discussed at the offsite, the server rebooted overnight" incorrectly attaches a relative clause and applies the phrase to a neutral factual event rather than a harsh judgment. "To put it bluntly" needs a following clause stating an unsoftened, candid assessment. The other three sentences use it correctly.
7 / 10
Choose the sentence where "to put it bluntly" is best replaced by "not to sugarcoat it" without changing the meaning.
"Not to sugarcoat it, we're losing customers because the checkout flow is broken on mobile" preserves the meaning exactly. The other options misuse the phrase as an urgency marker, an unrelated possessive-sounding construction, or a pairing with a specific future date.
8 / 10
A design doc states: "___ , the current schema is a mess, and every new feature makes it harder to untangle." Which best fits?
To put it bluntly is the correct, standard form — the infinitive "to put" plus object "it" plus adverb "bluntly." Option A wrongly uses the adjective. Option B wrongly uses a gerund. Option D wrongly drops the required object "it."
9 / 10
Which register note about "to put it bluntly" is accurate?
"To put it bluntly" works equally well in spoken feedback ("To put it bluntly, this isn't ready for production") and written performance reviews. It always signals that the speaker is dropping diplomatic softening in favor of direct honesty.
10 / 10
Which sentence best demonstrates "to put it bluntly" introducing an unsoftened, direct assessment?
"To put it bluntly, this feature was rushed, and the technical debt it created will cost us more than the deadline saved" is the textbook use: a direct, unsoftened judgment. The other options misuse the phrase as a command intensifier, insert it awkwardly mid-clause, or pair it incorrectly with a specific future date.