Let that sink in

“Let That Sink In” – Meaning, Usage and Examples

The idiom let that sink in is an expression used all around the world in multiple different contexts. From factual discussions to argumentative notions or just as slang language for the most trivial things, this phrase is an English staple for quite a lot. If you are unfamiliar with what the phrase is and how it is used, this article is for you.

Origin and meaning:

The origin of this phrase lies in a metaphor. It’s a known fact that a ship takes a while to sink into the water and does so slowly and gradually at its own pace. Similar to this “let that sink in” is simply letting information slowly sink in one’s brain so it can be understood better. To expand on this, let that sink in is to take time and process any kind of information and understand what it really means.

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For example: The sun is 400 times the size of the moon and the moon is 400 times closer to earth than the sun. Let that sink in.

For example: Despite my fear of heights, I bungee jumped from a bridge. Let that sink in for a moment.

Some more examples:

This phrase is not a very formal one and hence you would hear people using it every few sentences to make a more serious point. “Let that sink in” has now been adapted by the likes of the newer generations, the plethora of social media users and the slang speakers who have discovered multiple more contexts this idiom can be used to make a point.

Some more examples that demonstrate the use of this idiom are:

With the widespread use of this idiom, it is important to understand that excessive use of it can ruin the information or the context. Hence reading the situation and narrowing down on occasions where one can or should positively use the phrase makes it easier for people to understand and let that sink in well.

“Let that sink in”: Meaning & alternatives + 4 example sentences

Have you ever been told to “let that sink in”? These days, there’s a funny picture of a bathroom sink standing in a doorway, and text underneath that says “let that sink in”. However, the phrase isn’t telling you to allow a kitchen sink into your property.

What does “Let that sink in” mean?

“Let that sink in” means take a minute to reflect on what I’ve just said. “It” is the information you’ve just been told, and “sink” is a verb. Think of it like dropping bread into water. At first, it floats, but as it absorbs more water, it gets heavier and ends up sinking.

To understand is to imagine your minds is a pond and every bit of new information is fish food. Fish food doesn’t immediately sink into the pond. So, if you have new information and don’t make the effort to assimilate it, you are bound to forget.

In this article, I want to talk about how you can use it and its impact.

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Introduction to the sentence: “Let that sink in”

“Let that sink in” can best be described as an “Instructional” or “Imperative” sentence. It’s giving the reader/listener instruction and telling them to do something.

The verb “sink” is an imperative verb- a verb that gives an instruction.

By telling the reader what to do, you’ll be having a stronger impact on them, as you’ll come across as an authority figure. They will think of you as someone who knows what they’re talking about.

The impact it has is that it gives people a moment to think about what you’ve just told them, making the emotional impact greater.

#1 After an amazing fact

When you’re telling someone an amazing fact, you can use “let that sink in” to give them a chance to consider just how significant the fact you’ve just told them is. They can dwell on how this new information has changed their perception of a particular topic.

For example, if I were to say “There are more stars in the sky than there are grains of sand on the Earth. Let that sink in.”

After I’ve said “Let that sink in”, the listener will have a chance to think about how many grains of sand there must be and think about how big the sky must be.

#2 After a gruesome fact

It can be just as impactful after telling them not a pleasant fact, but an utterly gruesome one. It will give them time to think about how despicable the fact you’ve just told them is. They will also be able to think about things that your fact alone didn’t such as emotional impact, how much it must have hurt, and impact on loved ones.

For example, “6 million people were killed during the Holocaust. Let that sink in”.

#3 As a simple instruction

There will be other times when “Let that sink in” won’t be used for impact, but simply as an instruction. This will usually happen in a teaching environment.

The speaker will be saying it to allow their students to absorb what they’ve just been taught, so they don’t feel like their learning has been rushed.

“And that is why Henry VIII died. Let that sink in for a moment and we’ll start learning about what happened after his death”.

The teacher is allowing his students to absorb the information before moving onto the next topic.

#4 To increase impact of emotion

The final way you can use “let that sink in” is to convey emotions. This is similar to the point about gore, but it can be applied to all emotions, not just disgust.

“Let that sink in” allows the reader to go deep into their own emotions, and consider several reasons why the fact you’ve just told them is so powerful.

“Since 1900, poverty rates have gone down by 90%. Let that sink in”.

This is a great way to use it to get positive emotions.

“I paid £100 but it broke in the mail. Let that sink in.”

A great way to make the reader feel your anger.

When to use the phrase: “Let that sink in”

Usually when you say “let that sink in”, you’re trying to embiggen the effect of what you’ve just said. When talking, you’re most likely to hear it during casual conversation. This kind of persuasive language is rarely used in formal settings.

It’s unlikely you’ll see it in official documents. However, you may see it in opinion pieces and gossip columns where the writer tries to make the reader see things from their point of view.

So whenever you hear the phrase, chances are what you’re watching is an opinion and has a bias, it’s not the news.

Don’t overuse it!

Although “let that sink in” can have a significant impact, you need to be careful to not use it too often.

If you use it after stating mundane facts, or statements that won’t create much motion, you will be ruining its impact when you have good reason to use it.

Rather than pausing to think about what you’ve just said, people will think you’re being annoying and pay less attention to what you have to say.

Try and avoid using it more than once in each piece of text.

Alternative ways of saying “Let that sink in”

As with most other phrases we have, there are different ways you can say “let that sink in”. Here are just a few of them.

“Think about that”. Uses a less metaphorical approach in telling you what to do.

“How good/scary/sad/bad is that?”. Rather than allowing you to think about the emotions, it tells you what emotions you should be feeling.

“Dwell on that”. This one has a similar meaning to the others, it’s telling the reader to take a minute to think about what they’ve just been told.

Of course, there’s plenty of other ways you can say “let that sink in”, but those were some of the most common.

“Let that get through”

There are various alternatives to the phrase “let that sink in”. For one, you can utilise “let that get through”. It means the same thing which is to provide emphasis to whatever sentence preceeding it.

For example, you could say something like “This is a must win game. There are no room for mistakes guys. Let that get through to you.

“Let that register”

“let that register” is also another phrase used to emphasise whatever it is you are talking about. If your boss, for instance, was speaking on a meeting about something important, they could say something like:

“This client is very important to our bottom line. We really have to push the boat out on this. I really need you to let that register”

“Dawn on you/me”

This phrase shares the same meaning as the ones above. This is typically used in an informal setting, although it has been found in formal circles. It can be used between colleagues with no issue, however, this isn’t something you want to use with your boss or anyone is a supervisory role.

For example: “I’m sure it’s dawned on you that the quarterly review is almost here. We need to do our best”

Conclusion

“Let that sink in” means “take a moment to think about what I’ve just told you”.

It’s usually used to make the reader/listener get a stronger sense of the emotions that the information should send across.

This emotion could be fascination, disgust, sadness, joy, anger, or any other emotion.

The only time it’s not used emotion is when a teacher says it as general instruction.

Allowing your reader time to reflect will give them a higher chance of remembering what you said to them. They’ll think of you as more interesting and be likely to listen to you again.

Martin is the founder of Grammarhow.com. With top grades in English and teaching experience at university level, he is on a mission to share all of his knowledge about the English language. Having written thousands of articles, he is an expert at explaining difficult topics in a simple language.

Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.

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10 Mind-Boggling “Let-that-Sink-In” Facts

10 Mind-Boggling “Let-that-Sink-In” Facts

There are so many things across the globe that we are yet to learn. And there are things that we find hard to digest. For people out there who love such amazing hard-to-digest facts, we bring to you 10 “let-that-sink-in” facts that you probably had no knowledge of earlier.

1 The first electric car was invented as early as 1837 by a chemist. He also made the second electric locomotive that could carry six tons at four miles per hour.

In recent times, Tesla has been taking the world by storm when it comes to smart electric cars. Electric cars may feel like a modern invention but no, they existed as far back as the 19th century. The first known electric car dates as far back as 1837. It was built by Robert Davidson, a chemist in Scotland. The car was powered with the help of galvanic cells (batteries).

Davidson also built a larger vehicle in 1841, the Galvani, which weighed seven tons (7,100 kgs). Both his vehicles were powered by batteries. The Galvani was tested on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway in 1842 and reached four miles per hour (6.4 km/h) for a distance of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) while carrying a load of six tons (6,100 kg). Due to the limitations of the batteries used, the vehicle was not deemed practical for general use. Also, the vehicle was destroyed by railway workers who saw it as a threat to their jobs.

The first practical electric car that was mass produced was built by English inventor Thomas Parker in 1884. Parker invented high-capacity, rechargeable batteries that changed the outlook on electric cars. Parker was also responsible for making the electric cars more fuel-efficient. The first nations to support the development of electric vehicles on a large scale were France and the United Kingdom. (source)

2 We sent a man to the moon before someone thought of adding wheels to luggage.

Sometimes, we try so much to achieve something bigger that we forget about the little things. This is apparent when it comes to wheels on our luggage. It took longer for humanity to put wheels on their luggage than sending a man to the moon!

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were busy walking on the moon in 1969, people on Earth were still struggling to carry their heavy luggage. But this was going to change soon. Bernard Sadow, the former president and owner of the U.S. Luggage Company, was vacationing with his family. He, too, was struggling to carry the heavily packed luggage of his family. While waiting at the airport, he noticed a worker carrying a heavy piece of machinery on a wheeled platform effortlessly. This intrigued Sadow and gave him the idea to add wheels to luggage! He worked on various designs and applied for a patent in 1970. The concept became so popular that today we cannot imagine traveling with luggage without wheels.

Some people have speculated on why it took us so long to put wheels on luggage. They believe that maybe in earlier times, carrying heavy luggage was a way to measure masculinity. Moreover, women and children rarely traveled alone at that time. Maybe this is why it took us so long, agreed? (source)

3 Since its discovery in 1930, Pluto has not yet made a full orbit of the Sun.

Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930. Proved to be a dwarf planet now, Pluto takes 248.09 Earth years to make one rotation around the Sun. Since its discovery, it has only been 88 years. This means that Pluto will complete its first full orbit since its discovery on March 23, 2178.(source)

4 After the US army, Disney World is the largest buyer and importer of explosives in the USA.

The Department of Defense of the United States is the largest buyer and importer of explosives in the world. This fact is not that surprising. But the fact that Disney World is next in line is mind-boggling! It’s true, Disney World is the second-largest buyer and importer of explosives in the United States, after the US Army.

The reason lies in their bold fireworks show. Disney World goes to extreme lengths to wow their visitors. They offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience to visitors, leaving them wanting more and eager to come back. They offer one of the biggest shows in the world. Even though the immense fireworks are usually reserved for parties, celebrations, parades, and other special occasions, Disney needs to stock up on them to be ready for when they are required. (source)

5 Alaska is so big that cutting it in half would make Texas the third biggest state.

Alaska is the largest state in the United States. It has an area of 663,267.26 square miles. Texas is the second largest being 268,580.82 square miles in area. Now, let’s divide Alaska into two equal parts. Each part would have an area of 331633.63 square miles. Even when Alaska is divided into two, each part is still larger in area than Texas. This would make Texas the third largest state. Simple math, right? (source)

6 Fanta started as a Coca-Cola substitute in 1940s Nazi Germany.

At the time of the World War II, a trade embargo was announced against Germany. A trade embargo is a financial penalty that is applied to countries, and Nazi Germany was the first on the list for penalties during the war. Being a German company, it became difficult for Coca-Cola Deutschland to import the required syrup for the production of their drinks. Max Keith, the head of Coca-Cola Deutschland, came up with an idea to create an alternative drink, a coke substitute that would only use the ingredients available in Germany such as whey and apple pomace. And Fanta was born!

The name for the drink was the result of a brainstorming session that Keith organized. He urged his team to “use their imagination” to think of the perfect name. “Use their imagination” translates to “fantasie” in German, and one of the sales personnel immediately picked the name, Fanta. And the rest is history!

Coal-Cola lost the plant in which they were producing Fanta during the war. As soon as the war ended, they took full control of the plant and the formula for Fanta. (source)

7 Only about 36% of people in India have Internet access. But even that 36% is more than the entire population of the US.

The Internet And Mobile Association Of India (IAMAI) estimated the total number of Internet users in India to be 481 million. This data was calculated in December 2017. The total population of India is 1.3 billion. The math says that the total number of Internet users in India is only about 36% of the total population.

Now, the population of US is about 326 million. It’s pretty clear how only 36% of India’s population is way more than the entire population of the US! And the population growth graph above is scary! (source)

8 Your tongue rests on the roof of your mouth rather than the bottom.

Most people don’t realize it, but our tongue actually rests on the roof of the mouth rather than the bottom. Reading this would surely make some of us conscious about our tongue position! It’s not just the tip of the tongue but the entire tongue that shouldn’t lie low. The correct posture of a resting tongue should be so that the back of the tongue is plastered against the back roof of the mouth. This lifts the entire tongue towards the roof of the mouth.

To have a correct posture of the tongue is really important if you wish to have attractive facial features. A correct tongue posture leads to higher cheekbones, straighter teeth, and a stronger jawline. Incorrect tongue-resting posture can lead to crowded teeth, recessed chin, a dysfunctional bite, and flatter face. Moreover, it also affects your swallowing patterns. (source)

9 The strength of human hair is comparable to that of steel.

If someone says that the strength of human hair is comparable to that of steel, that might sound like an exaggeration. But there is a ring of truth to it when we look at it scientifically. Human hair has the ability to stretch up to 1.5 times its original length before breaking. Scientists and researchers at the University of California San Diego are studying the basic structural and behavioral properties of hair in order to develop materials with the same properties.

During the research, scientists discovered that the strength of a hair is determined by how fast or slow it was pulled. For example, if a strand of hair is stretched slowly, it breaks easily. On the other hand, if it is stretched fast, it becomes stronger and does not break off easily. The reason for this has been attributed to the cortex fibrils and matrix, the main parts of the human hair. Cortex fibrils comprise thousands of keratin proteins that wrap around each other like a chain. There are thousands of such chains that give hair its strength. In the case of an average person, the hair on their head has the ability to support a full grown woman. Furthermore, when pushed to its limits, a full head of hair can lift 12 tons, which is the same as two elephants! (source)

10 Deaf people don’t hear voices when they’re schizophrenic. They see disembodied hands signing to them.

When it comes to schizophrenia, voice hallucinations are the first symptoms. But this is the primary symptom for people who are not deaf. Extensive research has been carried out to understand how voice hallucinations materialize in the case of a schizophrenic deaf person who has never heard speech in his life. Around 50% of deaf schizophrenic people have confirmed having auditory hallucinations. But when asked to describe the auditory features such as tone, pitch, etc., they were unable to do so.

A study released by Dr. Joanna Atkinson of UCL in 2007 has given some new insights. The study confirmed that real auditory hallucinations (with sound) are only experienced by deaf schizophrenic people who have heard speech at some point in their life. For completely deaf people, the voices they hear are in the form of sign language or lips moving in their head. The auditory hallucinations are “soundless” in the case of completely deaf schizophrenic people. (1, 2)

Let that sink in – What does it mean and how to use it

Let that sink in is a common phrase used by people during conversation. Like many random sayings, this one is pretty straightforward. Its origins are not exact but the meaning of this phrase is pretty clear.

What does is mean when someone says “let that sink in”?

Let that sink in can mean to make you consider something more deeply. It can also mean to let more information enter your mind and become clearer. The point of this phrase is simply to focus on what someone else is saying more than it would typically be done without the use of this term. To let that sink in means to actually think about what someone is saying before you reply or react to it with your own words.

The reality is that the preceding statement must have been somewhat of a revelation. Hence the use of “let that sink in” is used so that the listener can contemplate upon it. You have to pay attention to what the person is saying and observe the way they are saying it. It doesn’t come off as too odd or different, but most people do not think about how they say things and their tone of voice.

Examples of how to use the saying, let that sink in.

In this first example, the person you are having a conversation with says “did you know that the pyramids took around 20 years to build, let that sink in!”. They are saying let that sink in because it’s rather mind-boggling that it took so long to build the pyramids.

In this second example, the person uses let that sink in to emphasize the importance of their statement. They are saying “let that sink in ladies and gentlemen.” The intent is to have you listen to their speech attentively.

Another example is when someone tells you something that is rather complex. They will provide this statement, “let that sink in” (this phrase). It’s used to let you know that they are talking about something very important or something that you might not initially understand due to how complicated it is. The person will say this phrase so that you can actually understand what they are saying.

Close equivalent phrases to let that sink in

There are several other common ways to say the same thing as “let that sink in”. The most common close equivalent phrase is “just think about that.”

The meaning of this phrase is very similar to that of letting that sink in. The difference is that it does not necessarily mean focusing on the content of what someone says and thinking about it after they say it. It can mean much more, like to take it into consideration.

This phrase is used when someone says something really valuable to you or valuable information you had never heard before. They are saying this because this valuable information needs your thought process to consider how you are going to use what you just learned or how valuable it is.

Alternatively, you could say just think about that to mean to contemplate the value of something. It’s used in situations where you are trying to be serious and want someone to focus on what they are doing. This is usually due to how you are saying it, like saying it with force or stressing certain words like “just”.

Another close equivalent phrase is “imagine that.” It has almost the exact same meaning as let that sink in. This phrase can be used interchangeably with “let that sink in.” The difference is that it’s a bit more forceful. It means to imagine how something would be like and observe the aspects of it like its shape and size and color and weight.

When not to use “let that sink in”

The term is not to be used lightly as it really adds a force to your words. When saying this phrase, it’s best to think carefully about what you are going to say. The purpose of this phrase is to have you ponder about something that has been said to you or something that is being said. It’s not the same as being simplistic or being vague with your language.

It’s also a bit odd when a person uses let that sink in when they mean “just think about it” so be careful with this phrasing.

The term that is used for when you say something and then they say something is called a conversational overlap. It’s basically overlapping what someone else says and saying the same thing but with different words. It’s considered okay to do this if it’s not too much of an overlap, like using let that sink in and just think about it.

Conclusion

When it comes to usage, the phrase “let that sink in” is quite straightforward. It’s only used when someone says something that is heavy or important and you want them to think about it before they speak. It’s never used with the intent of being vague or not being clear, just to let you understand what another person is saying.

If you’re using this phrase correctly, your listener will notice how it’s said with force and importance. It’s used when a person thinks what you said is important or they want to make sure you’ve heard what they said.