He could be a thief. vs He might be a thief.

Both phrases are correct and commonly used in English. They convey a similar meaning but with a slight difference in certainty. 'He could be a thief' implies a higher degree of possibility compared to 'he might be a thief.' The choice between the two depends on the level of certainty the speaker wants to convey.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 1102 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express a possibility with a higher degree of certainty.

"He could be a thief."

This phrase is used to suggest a strong possibility that someone is a thief.

Show examples from the web [+]

Dec 19, 2014 ... "But my son is my son, he could be a thief or whatever and I am never going to abandon him. I'll never turn my back on him." On Wednesday ...
Feb 14, 2015 ... We don't have to be on the hunt to kill him, he could be a thief or something, like he stole the Koh-i-Noor or something, and we go on a mission ...
Nov 25, 2012 ... The man I met on the beach yesterday seemed friendly, but he could be a thief, for all I know. For all I know, the girl was buried alive in the ...
“We said there is no way he could be a thief,” one neighbor recalled. “He's just like the rest of us.” A few months ago, while the 33-year-old Becker was still out on ...

Alternatives:

he may be a thief.
he is possibly a thief.
he might actually be a thief.
there is a chance he is a thief.
it's possible he is a thief.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express a possibility with a slightly lower degree of certainty compared to 'could.'

"He might be a thief."

This phrase is used to suggest a possibility that someone is a thief, but with less certainty than 'could.'

Show examples from the web [+]

Jan 22, 2015 ... ... a man was captured on camera moments before the officer shot him. ..... seen looking into cars and the resident thought he might be a thief.
Apr 21, 2014 ... Later, security guards would follow him in stores thinking he might be a thief. He states that the decision to become an astrophysicist was for ...
Jan 9, 2015 ... The reason is that he was seen looking into cars and the resident thought he might be a thief. I agree with the cop defending himself If he ...
Apr 5, 2013 ... Apparently, the acquaintance had been looking for Zac, and the men had seen him peering into parked cars and thought he might be a thief.

Alternatives:

he may be a thief.
he could possibly be a thief.
there is a chance he might be a thief.
it's possible he might be a thief.
he is potentially a thief.

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He could be a thief. vs He might be a thief.