Two heads are better than one

Definition

Two people working together can solve problems more effectively than one person working alone.

Etymology

This proverb has ancient roots, with similar expressions found in various cultures throughout history. The English version appeared in print by the 14th century and reflects the universal human understanding that collaboration often leads to better outcomes than individual effort.

Kelly Says

This saying captures an early understanding of what we now call 'collective intelligence' - the idea that groups can be smarter than their smartest individual members. However, research shows this only works when group members contribute different perspectives and avoid groupthink, proving the old saying isn't automatically true.

Translations

AMአማርኛ
ሁለት ራስ አንድ ራስ ይሻል
hulet ras and ras yishal
ARالعربية
رأسان خير من رأس
ra'saani khayr min ra's
BNবাংলা
দুটি মাথা একটির চেয়ে ভাল
du-ti matha ek-tir cheye bhalo
CACatalà
dos caps són millor que un
dohs kahps sohn mee-yohr keh oon
CSČeština
dvě hlavy jsou lepší než jedna
dveh hlavy ysoh leh-psee nyizh yed-nah
DADansk
to hoveder er bedre end ét
toh hoh-veh-dehr ehr beh-threh ehn eh-t
DEDeutsch
zwei Köpfe sind besser als einer
tsvai kerpfe zind bessah ahlz ainer
ELΕλληνικά
δύο κεφαλές είναι καλύτερες από μία
thio keh-fah-lehs eeh-nai kah-lee-teh-rehs a-poh mee-ah
ESEspañol
dos cabezas piensan mejor que una
dos ka-be-zas pyen-san myyor keh oonah
FAفارسی
دو سر بهتر از یک سر
do sar behtar az yek sar
FISuomi
kaksi päätä on parempi kuin yksi
kahk-see peh-ah-tah ohn pah-reh-mpee koo-in yk-see
FRFrançais
deux têtes valent mieux qu'une
duh tet vah leh myuh keh uhn
GUGU
બે ડોકા એક કરતાં સારાં
bay doh-kah eh-k kah-rah-tahm sah-rahm
HAHA
kai biyu ya fi kai daya
kah-ee bee-yoo yah fee kah-ee dah-yah
HEעברית
שתי ראשים טובים מאחד
shtay ra-shim to-vim me-ah-khad
HIहिन्दी
दो सिर एक से बेहतर होते हैं
do sir ek se behatar hote hain
HUMagyar
két fej jobb, mint egy
keh-t fey yob, mint eh-gey
IDBahasa Indonesia
dua kepala lebih baik daripada satu
du-ah keh-pah-lah leh-beh bah-ik dah-ree-pah-dah sah-too
IGIG
isi abụọ dị ka mma karịa otu
ee-see ah-bu-oh dee kah mmah kah-ree-ah oh-too
ITItaliano
due teste sono meglio di una
doo-eh teh-steh soh-noh meh-lyoh dee oo-nah
JA日本語
二人の頭は一人の頭より賢い
ni nin no atama wa hito ri no atama yori kashikoi
KKKK
екі бас бірден артық
eh-kee bahs beer-dehn ahr-teeq
KMKM
ក្បាលពីរ ល្អប្រសើរជាងមួយ
kbaal pee luh bpra-suer chee-ang muoy
KO한국어
두 사람의 머리가 하나의 머리보다 낫다
du sa-ram-eui meo-ri-ga ha-na-eui meo-ri-bo-da nat-ta
MRMR
दोन डोकी एकापेक्षा चांगली
doh-n doh-kee eh-kah-peh-shah chahng-lee
MSBahasa Melayu
dua kepala lebih baik daripada satu
du-ah keh-pah-lah leh-beh bah-ik dah-ree-pah-dah sah-too
MYမြန်မာ
နှစ်ခေါင်း တခေါင်းထက် ကောင်းပါတယ်
hnaht khaung txa khaung htaht kaung ba ta le
NLNederlands
twee hoofden zijn beter dan één
tway hoo-ven zayn bay-ter dahhn ayn
NONorsk
to hoder er bedre enn ett
toh hoh-dehr ehr beh-threh ehn eht
PAPA
ਦੋ ਸਿਰ ਇੱਕ ਤੋਂ ਵਧੀਆ
doh seer ikk toh vah-dee-ah
PLPolski
dwa głowy to lepiej niż jedna
dva gwo-vy toh leh-pyey nyizh yed-nah
PTPortuguês
duas cabeças pensam melhor do que uma
doo-ahs kah-beh-sahs pehn-sahm meh-yoh duh keh oo-mah
RORomână
două capete sunt mai bune decât unul
doo-ah kah-peh-teh soont mai boo-neh deh-kaht oo-nool
RUРусский
два ума лучше, чем один
dva uma luchshe, chem odin
SVSvenska
två huvuden är bättre än ett
tvo huu-veh-dehn ahr beh-tehr ahn eht
SWKiswahili
vichwa viwili ni bora kuliko kimoja
vee-ch-wah vee-wee-lee nee boh-rah koo-lee-koh kee-moh-jah
TAதமிழ்
இரண்டு தலைகள் ஒன்றினை விட நல்லது
i-ran-du thalaigal ondrinai vita nalladu
TEతెలుగు
రెండు తలలు ఒకటి కంటే మేలు
ren-du talalu okati kan-te me-lu
THไทย
สองหัวคิดดีกว่าหัวเดียว
song hua kit dee kwa hua diao
TLTL
dalawang ulo ay mas mabuti kaysa isa
dah-lah-wang oo-loh ay mas mah-boo-tee kah-ee-sah ee-sah
TRTürkçe
iki kafa bir kafadan iyidir
ee-kee kah-fah beer kah-fah-dahn ee-yee-deer
UKУкраїнська
два голови кращі за одного
dva holovy krashchi za odnogo
URاردو
دو سر بہتر ہیں ایک سے
do sar behtar hain ek se
VITiếng Việt
hai cái đầu thì hơn một cái đầu
hai kai dau thi hon mot kai dau
YOYO
ori méjì lọ́ọ́rọ̀ sí ori kan
oh-ree meh-jee loh-roh si oh-ree kah-n
ZH中文
两个头比一个头好
liǎng gè tóu bǐ yī gè tóu hǎo
ZUZU
amahhala amabili angcono kuluna
ah-mah-hah-lah ah-mah-bee-lee ah-ngo-ko-noh koo-loo-nah

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.