a blessing in disguise — hidden benefit
collocationC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
something that seems bad or unlucky at first, but actually turns out to have a good result later on.
Say it like a native
Textbook The setback ultimately proved to be advantageous in an unforeseen manner.
Native Losing that job was a blessing in disguise.
'A blessing in disguise' captures the idea in a fixed idiom; the formal paraphrase is flat.
Pattern: something is a blessing in disguise
In use
- Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it pushed me to start my own business, which I love.daily life
- In my opinion, sometimes failing an exam can be a blessing in disguise because it motivates students to work harder and improve their understanding of the subject.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ It was a blessing on disguise.
✓ It was a blessing in disguise.
The fixed idiom uses 'in disguise' — not 'on'.
Common collocations
a blessing in disguise— turned out to be, was a blessing in disguise, maybe it's, in the end
Don't confuse it
Unlike simply saying something is 'lucky' or 'fortunate', 'a blessing in disguise' emphasizes that the good result was hidden behind an apparently bad situation.