The pattern

"What are the chances of" plus an -ing verb asks how likely something is. "What are the chances of getting a table tonight?" wants a realistic estimate. With a sentence, use "that": "What are the chances that it rains?"

Said alone, "What are the chances?" is pure surprise at a coincidence: you meet your neighbor in a Tokyo train station. It means "That's so unlikely, and it happened." Answers to the real question include "Pretty good", "Slim", "Fifty-fifty" and "Zero".

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

  5. Pure surprise at a coincidence.

  8. Almost impossible.

  10. "Any chance" is a casual, hopeful request.

Check yourself

1What does "What are the chances?" said alone express?
2What does "slim to none" mean?
3Which is a hopeful, casual request?

Practice · 3 min

Ask how likely something is. Prompt on the left, one natural sentence on the right.

  1. 1
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Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.