Meaning

"Sleep tight" means sleep well, deeply and all night. It is a soft, affectionate thing to say at bedtime, usually right after "good night". "Tight" here has the older sense of soundly or firmly, the way you'd hold something tight, so the wish is for sleep that holds you and doesn't let go.

Parents say it to children, partners say it to each other, and close friends type it at the end of a late message. It's too cozy for colleagues or customers; there, "have a good night" does the job. Many American kids grow up with a rhyme that adds "don't let the bedbugs bite" after it. Adults quote it as a joke, and nobody expects real bedbugs.

In a conversation

XiaoChen
  1. Xiao
  2. Chen
  3. Xiao
  4. Chen
  5. Xiao
  6. Chen

Say it out loud

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

Check yourself

1Who would you say "Sleep tight" to?
2What does "tight" mean in "sleep tight"?

Practice · 3 min

Listen, then say each line in a soft, low bedtime voice. Stress "tight" and let it fade out.

Say it today

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