a picture is worth a thousand words

proverb

A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.

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Meanings

proverb

alternative a picture paints a thousand words

  1. A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description.

Origin

Popularized following a 1911 speech given by Arthur Brisbane where he encouraged advertisers "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." By 1915, the phrase in its modern form is attested. A number of other phrases expressing the same idea are attested throughout the 1800s.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic صُورَة تُسَاوِي أَلْف كَلِمَة
  • صُورَة تُسَاوِي أَلْف كَلِمَةvisualisation is better than verbal description
Bulgarian една картина струва колкото хиляда думи, една картина струва колкото хиляди думи
  • една картина струва колкото хиляда думи (edna kartina struva kolkoto hiljada dumi)visualisation is better than verbal description
  • една картина струва колкото хиляди думи (edna kartina struva kolkoto hiljadi dumi)visualisation is better than verbal description
Catalan una imatge val més que mil paraules
  • una imatge val més que mil paraulesvisualisation is better than verbal description
Chinese Mandarin 百聞不如一見 /百闻不如一见, 一幅畫能畫出千言萬語 /一幅画能画出千言万语
  • 百聞不如一見 /百闻不如一见 (bǎi wén bùrú yī jiàn)visualisation is better than verbal description
  • 一幅畫能畫出千言萬語 /一幅画能画出千言万语 (yī fú huà néng huà chū qiānyánwànyǔ)visualisation is better than verbal description
Danish et billede siger mere end tusind ord
  • et billede siger mere end tusind ordvisualisation is better than verbal description
Dutch een afbeelding zegt meer dan duizend woorden
  • een afbeelding zegt meer dan duizend woordenvisualisation is better than verbal description
Finnish yksi kuva kertoo enemmän kuin tuhat sanaa
  • yksi kuva kertoo enemmän kuin tuhat sanaavisualisation is better than verbal description
French une image vaut mille mots
  • une image vaut mille motsvisualisation is better than verbal description
German ein Bild sagt mehr als tausend Worte
  • ein Bild sagt mehr als tausend Wortevisualisation is better than verbal description
Italian un'immagine vale più di mille parole
  • un'immagine vale più di mille parolevisualisation is better than verbal description
Japanese 百聞は一見に如かず
  • 百聞は一見に如かず (hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu)visualisation is better than verbal description
Korean 백문불여일견
  • 백문불여일견 (baengmun buryeo ilgyeon)visualisation is better than verbal description
Norwegian Bokmål et bilde sier mer enn tusen ord
  • et bilde sier mer enn tusen ordvisualisation is better than verbal description
Polish jeden obraz jest wart więcej niż tysiąc słów
  • jeden obraz jest wart więcej niż tysiąc słówvisualisation is better than verbal description
Portuguese uma imagem vale mais que mil palavras
  • uma imagem vale mais que mil palavrasvisualisation is better than verbal description
Romanian o pictură spune mai mult decât o mie de vorbe
  • o pictură spune mai mult decât o mie de vorbevisualisation is better than verbal description
Russian лу́чше оди́н раз уви́деть, чем сто раз услы́шать
  • лу́чше оди́н раз уви́деть, чем сто раз услы́шать (lúčše odín raz uvídetʹ, čem sto raz uslýšatʹ)visualisation is better than verbal description
Spanish una imagen vale más que mil palabras
  • una imagen vale más que mil palabrasvisualisation is better than verbal description
Swedish en bild säger mer än tusen ord
  • en bild säger mer än tusen ordvisualisation is better than verbal description
Turkish bir resim bin kelimeye bedeldir
  • bir resim bin kelimeye bedeldirvisualisation is better than verbal description
Ukrainian краще один раз побачити, ніж сто разів почути
  • краще один раз побачити, ніж сто разів почути (krašče odyn raz pobačyty, niž sto raziv počuty)visualisation is better than verbal description
Vietnamese trăm nghe không bằng mắt thấy, trăm nghe không bằng một thấy
  • trăm nghe không bằng mắt thấyvisualisation is better than verbal description
  • trăm nghe không bằng một thấyvisualisation is better than verbal description
  • mắt thấy tai nghevisualisation is better than verbal description
  • sờ sờvisualisation is better than verbal description
  • rành rànhvisualisation is better than verbal description
Cite this entry
APA

a picture is worth a thousand words. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20picture%20is%20worth%20a%20thousand%20words

MLA

“a picture is worth a thousand words.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20picture%20is%20worth%20a%20thousand%20words. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a picture is worth a thousand words,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20picture%20is%20worth%20a%20thousand%20words.

Source: a picture is worth a thousand words on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.