Adults who can’t admit “I have no idea” end up faking their way into bigger messes. Own the gap early.

Not knowing is ordinary, and the cover-up is what turns it into a problem. Small pretences compound, because each one requires the next, and eventually you are managing a gap that has grown past the point where anyone can help you close it. Saying it early is cheap and stays cheap.

Use the sentence the next time it is true, without the qualifying clause that softens it. Then find out and come back with the answer. People trust the person who admits a gap far more than the one who was never wrong.