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Question 1: What are the nuances between using odd, weird, or strange here?

Question2: Is my example correct?

Example:

A: Did you win the lottery

B: I won the jackpot. My family does not believe I won. I have not told my other friends about this. You are my first friend to know about this.

A: That sounds odd/weird/strange. Maybe it is hiding something.

By the way, "That" refers to the whole thing B is saying.

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  • "Weird" is rather negative.
  • "Strange" is still negative, but less than "weird".
  • "Odd" is not as strong: it is more "normal" than something "strange" or "weird". You can see something is not normal, but it is not shocking.

I offer you the following correction:

A: Did you win the lottery?

B: I won the jackpot. My family does not believe I won. I have not told my other friends about this. You are my first friend to know about this.

A: That sounds strange (but this choice is subjective). Maybe it (depends on what you meant?) is hiding something.

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    I've noticed that posters on this site often use weird to mean strange, unusual. However, its original meaning was 'strange in a sinister, spooky way' - Oxford dictionaries says 'suggesting something supernatural; unearthly'.. Feb 23, 2021 at 9:19
  • @benice So, using odd doesn't make the speaker sound judgemental, right. By the way, what does the "it" mean in your answer? Does the "it" refer to "that", which represents things B is saying.
    – vincentlin
    Feb 23, 2021 at 9:24
  • @benice Sorry if you are busy with things. Would you mind answering my question in the comment?
    – vincentlin
    Feb 24, 2021 at 16:44
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    @vincentlin this is a good question: I didn't know what/who is hiding something, with no other context If this is what B is saying, it cannot be "he" or "she" "he"/"she" are only used for people, sometimes also for animals or in some cases of anthropomorphism
    – benice
    Feb 25, 2021 at 11:12

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