ˈsepəreɪt ðə wiːt frɒm ðə tʃæf
General
formal
advanced
- Literally:
- Separating grain from husks
What does "separate the wheat from the chaff" mean?
- To distinguish what is valuable from what is worthless
- To sort the good from the bad
Examples
- The interview process separates the wheat from the chaff.
- We need to separate the wheat from the chaff in these applications.
- Competition separates the wheat from the chaff.
Origin
Biblical (Matthew 3:12). From agriculture—wheat is the valuable grain; chaff is the worthless husk.
How to use it
Formal expression often used in evaluation contexts. Implies careful judgment.
Similar expressions
sort the good from the bad
distinguish quality
select the best
Opposites
lump together
treat equally
not discriminate
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "separate the wheat from the chaff" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.