틀림없다 expresses strong certainty or conviction. It means "must be," "surely," "definitely," or "without a doubt" in English, indicating you're very confident about something.
Structure
Statement + 틀림없다
Breakdown:
- 틀림: Mistake, error
- 없다: To not exist
Literal meaning: "There is no mistake" → "Must be/Surely"
Formation Rules
With -(으)ㄹ: -(으)ㄹ 틀림없다
Stem ending in vowel or ㄹ + -ㄹ 틀림없다:
- 가다 → 갈 틀림없다 (must go / surely will go)
- 하다 → 할 틀림없다 (must do / surely will do)
- 오다 → 올 틀림없다 (must come / surely will come)
- 만들다 → 만들 틀림없다 (must make / surely will make)
Stem ending in consonant + -을 틀림없다:
- 먹다 → 먹을 틀림없다 (must eat / surely will eat)
- 좋다 → 좋을 틀림없다 (must be good / surely is good)
- 읽다 → 읽을 틀림없다 (must read / surely will read)
With -이다: -일 틀림없다
Noun + -일 틀림없다:
- 학생일 틀림없다 (must be a student)
- 선생님일 틀림없다 (must be a teacher)
- 의사일 틀림없다 (must be a doctor)
- 한국 사람일 틀림없다 (must be Korean)
Common Pattern: Clause + 것이 틀림없다
More natural spoken form:
- 그가 올 것이 틀림없어요 (He will surely come)
- 성공할 것이 틀림없어요 (Will surely succeed)
- 비가 올 것이 틀림없어요 (It will surely rain)
Contracted form:
- 올 게 틀림없어요 (Surely will come)
- 할 게 틀림없어요 (Surely will do)
Politeness Levels
Formal (틀림없습니다)
- 갈 틀림없습니다 (must go / surely will go)
- 학생일 틀림없습니다 (must be a student)
- 성공할 것이 틀림없습니다 (will surely succeed)
Polite (틀림없어요)
- 갈 틀림없어요 (must go / surely will go)
- 학생일 틀림없어요 (must be a student)
- 성공할 것이 틀림없어요 (will surely succeed)
Casual (틀림없어)
- 갈 틀림없어 (must go / surely will go)
- 학생일 틀림없어 (must be a student)
- 성공할 게 틀림없어 (surely will succeed)
Core Meaning: Strong Conviction
Confident Predictions
What you're sure will happen:
- 내일 비가 올 틀림없어요 (It will surely rain tomorrow)
- 그가 성공할 틀림없어요 (He will surely succeed)
- 시험이 어려울 틀림없어요 (The exam will surely be difficult)
- 늦을 틀림없어요 (Will surely be late)
Strong Certainty About Facts
What must be true:
- 그 사람이 한국 사람일 틀림없어요 (That person must be Korean)
- 여기가 맞을 틀림없어요 (This must be the right place)
- 그게 정답일 틀림없어요 (That must be the correct answer)
Logical Conclusions
Based on evidence:
- 지금쯤 도착했을 틀림없어요 (They must have arrived by now)
- 이미 알고 있을 틀림없어요 (They must already know)
- 집에 있을 틀림없어요 (They must be at home)
Common Usage Patterns
With Evidence
Based on what you see/know:
- 이 발자국은 그 사람 것일 틀림없어요 (These footprints must be that person's)
- 이 맛은 엄마가 만든 음식일 틀림없어요 (This taste must be Mom's cooking)
- 이 목소리는 철수일 틀림없어요 (This voice must be Cheolsu's)
About Future Events
Strong predictions:
- 그 팀이 이길 틀림없어요 (That team will surely win)
- 계획이 잘 될 틀림없어요 (The plan will surely work out)
- 모두가 좋아할 틀림없어요 (Everyone will surely like it)
Identity and Attribution
Who/what something must be:
- 그 사람이 범인일 틀림없어요 (That person must be the culprit)
- 이게 원인일 틀림없어요 (This must be the cause)
- 저 건물이 우리 호텔일 틀림없어요 (That building must be our hotel)
Tense Variations
Present/Future: -(으)ㄹ 틀림없다
Must be (present state) / Will surely (future):
- 지금 집에 있을 틀림없어요 (Must be at home now)
- 내일 올 틀림없어요 (Will surely come tomorrow)
- 피곤할 틀림없어요 (Must be tired)
Past: -았/었을 틀림없다
Must have done:
- 벌써 갔을 틀림없어요 (Must have already gone)
- 이미 먹었을 틀림없어요 (Must have already eaten)
- 들었을 틀림없어요 (Must have heard)
Progressive: -고 있을 틀림없다
Must be doing:
- 지금 자고 있을 틀림없어요 (Must be sleeping now)
- 공부하고 있을 틀림없어요 (Must be studying)
- 기다리고 있을 틀림없어요 (Must be waiting)
Negative Forms
Must Not Be
안/못 + verb + -(으)ㄹ 틀림없다:
- 안 올 틀림없어요 (Surely won't come)
- 못 갈 틀림없어요 (Surely can't go)
- 안 좋을 틀림없어요 (Surely won't be good)
Verb + -지 않을 틀림없다:
- 가지 않을 틀림없어요 (Surely won't go)
- 좋지 않을 틀림없어요 (Surely won't be good)
Identity Negation
아니다 with 틀림없다:
- 그 사람이 아닐 틀림없어요 (That must not be the person)
- 여기가 아닐 틀림없어요 (This must not be the place)
Common Expressions
Daily Certainties
- 맞을 틀림없어요 (Must be correct)
- 그럴 틀림없어요 (Must be so / That must be it)
- 사실일 틀림없어요 (Must be true / Must be a fact)
- 진짜일 틀림없어요 (Must be real / Must be genuine)
About People
- 그 사람일 틀림없어요 (Must be that person)
- 친구일 틀림없어요 (Must be a friend)
- 한국 사람일 틀림없어요 (Must be Korean)
- 전문가일 틀림없어요 (Must be an expert)
Outcomes
- 성공할 틀림없어요 (Will surely succeed)
- 잘 될 틀림없어요 (Will surely go well)
- 좋아할 틀림없어요 (Will surely like it)
- 이길 틀림없어요 (Will surely win)
Location and Identification
- 여기일 틀림없어요 (This must be the place)
- 저기일 틀림없어요 (That must be it)
- 이게 맞을 틀림없어요 (This must be right)
Example Dialogues
Dialogue 1: Making a Deduction
A: 이 가방 누구 거예요?
(Whose bag is this?)
B: 철수 것일 틀림없어요. 이름이 써 있어요.
(It must be Cheolsu's. His name is written on it.)
Dialogue 2: Weather Prediction
A: 내일 날씨가 어떨까요?
(What will the weather be like tomorrow?)
B: 하늘을 보니까 비가 올 틀림없어요.
(Looking at the sky, it will surely rain.)
Dialogue 3: Confident Guess
A: 시험 어땠어요?
(How was the exam?)
B: 다 맞았어요. 100점을 받을 틀림없어요.
(I got everything right. I'll surely get 100 points.)
Dialogue 4: Location
A: 우리 호텔이 어디죠?
(Where is our hotel?)
B: 저 큰 건물이 우리 호텔일 틀림없어요.
(That big building must be our hotel.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 가 틀림없어요
Missing modifier
✅ Correct: 갈 틀림없어요 or 갈 것이 틀림없어요
Need -(으)ㄹ or 것이
❌ Incorrect: 학생이 틀림없어요
Missing -ㄹ with 이다
✅ Correct: 학생일 틀림없어요
Use -일 with nouns
❌ Incorrect: 틀리없어요
Wrong pronunciation/spelling
✅ Correct: 틀림없어요
틀림없다 (틀림 + 없다)
Usage Notes
Certainty Level
Very high certainty (90%+):
- 틀림없다 (surely, must be)
- Stronger than 것 같다
- Based on strong evidence or conviction
Formality
Appropriate for:
- All levels of formality
- Written and spoken Korean
- Expressing strong opinions
- Making confident predictions
Common in:
- Detective stories/mysteries
- Sports commentary
- Weather predictions
- Daily deductions
Comparison with Similar Expressions
틀림없다 vs -(으)ㄹ 것이다
틀림없다 (very certain - 90%+):
- 갈 틀림없어요 (Will surely go - very confident)
-(으)ㄹ 것이다 (certain - 70-80%):
- 갈 거예요 (Will go - confident but not absolute)
틀림없다 vs -(으)ㄹ 것 같다
틀림없다 (very certain):
- 비가 올 틀림없어요 (It will surely rain - very confident)
-(으)ㄹ 것 같다 (seems like):
- 비가 올 것 같아요 (It seems like it will rain - less certain)
틀림없다 vs -(으)ㄹ지도 모르다
틀림없다 (very certain - 90%+):
- 올 틀림없어요 (Will surely come)
-(으)ㄹ지도 모르다 (uncertain - 50%):
- 올지도 몰라요 (Might come)
틀림없다 vs 분명하다
틀림없다 (must be, surely):
- 그 사람일 틀림없어요 (Must be that person)
분명하다 (clear, obvious):
- 그 사람인 게 분명해요 (It's clear that it's that person)
Note: These are very similar in meaning, both expressing high certainty.
Related Expressions
분명하다 (Clear, Obvious)
Similar meaning, slightly different nuance:
- 분명히 올 거예요 (Will clearly/obviously come)
- 분명한 사실이에요 (It's a clear fact)
확실하다 (Certain, Sure)
Expressing certainty:
- 확실히 그럴 거예요 (Will certainly be so)
- 확실해요 (I'm sure)
의심할 여지가 없다 (No room for doubt)
More formal expression:
- 그가 범인임을 의심할 여지가 없다 (There's no room to doubt he's the culprit)
Summary Table
| Expression | Certainty | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| 틀림없다 | 90%+ | Must be, surely (very confident) |
| -(으)ㄹ 것이다 | 70-80% | Will (confident) |
| -(으)ㄹ 것 같다 | 60-70% | Seems like (moderately confident) |
| -(으)ㄹ지도 모르다 | 50% | Might (uncertain) |
| 분명하다 | 90%+ | Clear, obvious (similar to 틀림없다) |
| 확실하다 | 85-95% | Certain, sure |
Key Takeaways
- ✅ Very high certainty: Expresses 90%+ confidence
- ✅ Strong conviction: Must be, surely, definitely
- ✅ Based on evidence: Often used with logical deductions
- ✅ Common patterns: -(으)ㄹ 틀림없다, -일 틀림없다, 것이 틀림없다
- ✅ All tenses: Works with past, present, future
- ✅ Natural expression: Very common in everyday Korean
틀림없다 is essential for expressing strong certainty and conviction in Korean. It's one of the most natural ways to say you're very sure about something, whether making predictions, drawing conclusions, or identifying things with confidence.