“Strange to tell” is an old‑fashioned idiomatic phrase used to introduce something surprising, unusual, or hard to believe. It’s like saying “curiously enough,” “oddly enough,” or “surprisingly.”

Quick Scoop: Meaning

When a writer or speaker says “strange to tell,” they are signaling that what comes next is unexpected or extraordinary. For example:

Strange to tell, the quietest student in class became the best public speaker.

Here it suggests:

  • The fact is unusual or out of the ordinary.
  • The speaker is slightly amazed by what they are about to say.
  • The listener should pay attention because this detail defies normal expectations.

You’ll often see it in literary or poetic contexts rather than in casual modern speech.

How you can think of it

You can mentally replace “strange to tell” with:

  • “Surprisingly,”
  • “Oddly enough,”
  • “Curiously enough,”
  • “It may sound strange, but…”

Example:

  • “Strange to tell, the rain seemed to answer the poet’s question.”
    ≈ “Surprisingly, the rain seemed to answer the poet’s question.”

Usage tip

  • Tone: Slightly formal or literary , not common in everyday conversation now.
  • Best used in storytelling, essays, or commentary when you want to highlight how remarkable a fact is.

TL;DR:
The phrase “strange to tell” means that what is being said is unusual or surprising, almost hard to believe, and it’s used to introduce that surprising statement.