Have you ever stumbled to class, filled with dread and wondering how you're going to explain why you don't have any work to turn in? When that happens, pupils often cook up excuses why they couldn’t complete their homework. Today, the number one excuse for not doing homework is "my computer crashed" or some other tech-related issues. If you've used that already, these time-tested excuses might earn you a pass.
| 💡Excuse | 🤔When/how to use |
|---|---|
| The dog ate it | Only on occasion If you actually have a dog. Bring a few chewed-on pages as proof. |
| I was distracted | Best when something really important is going on, like |
| I don’t remember getting any homework | Use only if your school doesn't use online assignment trackers. Works especially well if you're returning after being sick. |
| I forgot my homework app password | A tricky one; you'll have to explain why you didn't use the password reset function and more. |
| I accidentally deleted it. | A tech-savvy teacher will wonder why you didn't retrieve it from your trash bin. Works best for assignments done online. |
| I thought it was in my bag | If/when you have a new satchel If your bag is unusually full. |
| I didn't understand the assignment | Works best for maths, science and long writing assignments. Works best if several students also didn't understand. |
| Computer crashes and other technical glitches | Use sparingly, as teachers always find counter-arguments. |
| Too busy with other assignments | Best for uni students. |
| I was absent | Works best with a few mates to support your claim. |
| Extracurricular activities and/or volunteering | If you're famous for your extra activities, you can use this one two or three times per term. |
| I was too sick | Make sure you weren't COVID sick, or anything that could be called COVID. |
| I thought it was due tomorrow. | Use once per term, at most! Otherwise, the teacher is likely to catch on. |
| I left it at home | Follow up with a promise to email it or bring it the next day. Best if it's an assignment you can do quickly. |
| I deleted it by accident | Save this one for end-of-term papers, so you can beg for more time! |
| Tell the truth | As sincerely as possible, preferably with a promise to make the work up. |
The Dog Ate It
The go-to excuse for not doing homework has to be the one about the dog laying waste to students' carefully penned essays. Or carefully calculated equations. Even those whose school days are far behind them likely remember invoking this mythical beast, on occasion.
Did you know this excuse is grounded in fact? The original dog who ate homework was allegedly Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise's pet fox.
Sometime in the 6th Century, the saint's tame fox was taking Ciarán's writings to the monastery Master. These papers were bound in a leather strap. One day, the fox chewed through the strap and the papers flew.
Over the centuries, dogs have been accused of eating everything. In one story published in 1808, a dog at a playing card that would have lost its master the high-stakes game he was playing. This might be the world's most time-tested homework excuse.
I Was Distracted
These days, students have no trouble admitting how distracting social media is. Snapchat, Tiktok and Instagram algorithms keep feeding you content by design. What's more captivating: the latest 'challenge' or the unsolved maths equations your teacher assigned you?
@bdsspam Feel like I’ve teleported back to 2023 again
♬ som original - diesper00
Of course, you have good and bad reasons for being distracted. Your mate needs to talk something out or something's going on in your neighbourhood: acceptable distractions to track on social media. Taking/posting selfies because you're bored: unacceptable! Keep this breakdown in mind when you tell your teacher you were too distracted to focus on your work.
I Don’t Remember Getting any Homework
Oh, no! You forgot to write your assignment into your work planner and now, you have nothing to turn in! Forgetting to write down your assignments doesn't rank among the best excuses but you can still make it work if you have decent acting chops.
The trouble with your Swiss cheese memory about homework assignments is today's technology. Upon any claim of faulty memory on your part, your teacher will know they assigned the work online. If you logged in, you saw there was work to be done. It would be best not to use this excuse when you have a reason to log in, such as when you're waiting for exam results.
I Forgot My Homework App Password
This excuse is the workaround for the excuse above. Your teacher may accept it on its face unless they remember that our phones typically offer to remember our passwords for us.
Should your teacher question why you don't let your phone store your password, put forth this argument.
Having so much tech at our disposal makes our lives easier but it has unintended negative consequences. Our phones rob our memory capacity because they remember everything for us.
Memory is crucial to the human experience, let alone to students' success. You may score points for wisdom, as well as get a pass on undone homework if you can argue this point.
I Deleted it By Accident
Accidental deletions are the bane of every creator, whether they're drafting a homework essay or a United Nations policy paper. It happens so often that software exists to retrieve accidentally deleted files and data.
You likely don't have access to such pricey tools, so you'll have to redo your assignment. Your teacher will understand if it doesn't happen too often.
I Thought it Was in My Bag
Leaving your assignment on your desk at home is one of the more believable excuses for not having any work to turn in. Or maybe you had to change bags at the last minute because the other satchel's strap broke. How unfortunate that you didn't check all of the compartments!
This particular excuse works for just about anything, from the money you owe a friend to the book you promised to return. Even better, it's one your teacher could likely relate to. It's best not to use it too often, though, and it helps if you actually have a new or different bag.
I Didn’t Understand the Homework
Confusion is always a good excuse for not doing homework. Even the best students need clarification on particularly tough assignments sometimes. So saying you didn't do your homework because you didn't understand it is perfectly reasonable.
Admittedly, this excuse works better for science, maths or questions-based homework rather than essays. Still, it's a fairly common excuse.
That doesn't mean this excuse won't fly. You simply need to be creative and explain how you didn't quite get the idea of what you were supposed to do.
Your teacher might ask if you talked with any of your classmates to see if they could explain what you were supposed to do. They might also wonder why you didn't email them.
My Computer Crashed and Other Tech Glitches
If you were looking for excuses for not doing homework, you could hardly do better than a tech glitch. Since COVID, schools have continued using web-based platforms to assign and turn in homework.
Thus, a whole new spectrum of excuses has opened up to the desperate, homework-lacking learner:
My WIFI wasn't working
Teacher counter: go to a café!
The power was out in my neighbourhood
Teacher counter: no power outages reported!
My printer wouldn't print
Teacher counter: go to a print shop!
Besides these, you might mention misbehaving pets and/or younger siblings breaking your laptop. If you're really desperate, hackers or malware work a treat. Your teacher will likely have fewer counters for these excuses.
Too Much Homework from Another Class
Doing homework for every class can be an hours-long proposition. So it's understandable that you might cut corners, particularly in assignments for classes you don't like. This lays the groundwork for one of the best homework excuses.
This excuse would work best for college and university students, but it doesn't guarantee you a pass on forgotten assignments. In fact, your teacher might not even care if you're preparing for your exams.
There's a reason this isn't a terribly popular excuse. Teachers might clap back by saying that you're a college/university student so you should manage your schedule and workload more efficiently. Still, this excuse might work if your professor is too inexperienced to know better or a bit on the negligent side.
I was Absent When the Homework was Assigned
Classroom overcrowding is a huge problem in the UK. But it lays the groundwork for one of the best excuses for not doing homework. Does your teacher waste precious class time calling the roll? If so, how do they know it's really you who answered?
Despite your attendance tick in the register, this story could still fly if you could convince your teacher you were in the loo when the assignment was announced. It would work particularly well if you are, indeed, a frequent visitor to the loo during class.
Busy with Extra-curricular Activities and Volunteering
If you want to polish your civic image, saying you couldn't do any homework because you were helping others would be a sure bet. Especially in these post-COVID times! If you're too busy helping out in your local clinic to solve equations, you will be a star in your teacher's eyes.
You might even use this excuse if you're late to school but you might find less favour if you claim team sports or group activities as your extracurricular activity. Still, choose the reason you're too busy for homework wisely. If volunteering is your excuse, it would be best to actually volunteer because if you get found out, your fall from grace would be twice as far.
I Was So Sick!
Not so long ago, in the halcyon, pre-COVID days, being sick was a classic excuse for not doing homework. One could claim a 24-hour bug, food poisoning or come to class looking convincingly wan and plead a fever the night before.
These days, claiming to be feverish is liable to land you in quarantine, missing out on classes and leisure activities alike. So, it's best to claim something identifiable like food poisoning, that's not virus-related.
I Thought It Was Due Tomorrow
For many, the school experience amounts to one hazy, forgettable day blending into the next. So, it's no surprise that even the most diligent students might melt Wednesday into Thursday.
Naturally this tendency rules out using homework planners and digital platforms that remind you of when your assignments are due.
This excuse works best for pupils who have the same classes every day. University students typically have weekly sessions; they can change the excuse to "I thought it was due next week".
I Left My Homework at Home
Where else should 'home' work linger? Reasonable people leave most of their prized possessions at home. Your compositions and calculations might be too precious to you to risk toting them hither and yon.
You might volunteer to email them to your teacher once you're safely back among your things. That way, you get to keep your original work.
Tell the Truth
If you typically dole out excuses for not doing your homework, perhaps it’s time to pull out your ace in the hole – the truth. Honesty is still the best policy. Your teacher will appreciate the refreshing change from the usual bombardment of excuses.
Use truth-telling when you’re feeling especially sincere (and desperate). Or, the best yet: tell the truth all the time. Of course, you wouldn't have to worry about recycling excuses if you knocked your homework out like the champ you are. And you wouldn't have to worry about failing exams, either.
Other Reasons for Not Doing Homework
In case the all-time best excuses listed above don't suit you or you've used them all at least once this school year, here are a few extra excuses to try that might save you from the wrath of Teacher:
- I was looking it over and left it on the bus
- My parents were looking it over and forgot to give it back
- My tutor accidentally packed it away with their papers
- My little brother/sister drew all over it (or used it to make a paper aeroplane, a boat, a nest for their guinea pig...)
- I dropped it in the sewer on the way to school
- My mother/father accidentally shredded it, along with other important documents
- I spilt (insert name of a document-ruining food or beverage) all over it
- I let (insert name of classmate) borrow it and s/he didn't give it back you may even claim that the treacherous friend turned your work in as theirs
We hope these excuses for no homework have been helpful - or, at least, entertaining. Now, with excuses for not doing your academic work out of the way, you might also need a few good excuses to get out of doing PE.
Excuses for Not Going to Work
As a bonus, we toss in a few excuses to miss work. As our excuses for no homework show, everyone needs a day off sometimes, even students. But then, students may also have jobs so they need believable excuses for missing work, too.
I'm sick!
- the top excuse to miss work
- not likely to get you in trouble (thanks to COVID)
- Don't use too often
I have an emergency!
- family illness, home situation, car accident
- exams coming up; must study
- beware you may have to show proof
I need a mental health day!
- too stressed or frustrated
- too much going on in the world
- if your job offers them, take them!
Transportation troubles
- the tube/bus/train broke down
- my bike was stolen
- not effective if you have other ways to get to work
If these perfectly reasonable excuses for not going to work are out of step with your character, you might need a few outrageous reasons for not going to work. Did a goose or duck bite you? Did pigeons use you for target practice on the way to work? Or you might have been in a hurry to start your shift but your uniform was still wet so you put it in the microwave and it caught on fire.
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Thanks! My teacher totally got pranked! ⛔ 📝🤩
you are going to get in trouble and fail school if you use these
O.M.G. I ALWAYS USE THESE AND THE OTHER DAY MY TEACHER CAUGHT ON TO ME AND THE CLASS SNITCH TOLD HIM THAT THERE IS A WEBSITE THAT GIVES YOU EXCUSES TO USE IF U DONT TURN IN YOUR HOMEWORK ON TIME. MY TEACHER CHECKED IT OUT AND REALISED THAT I HAVE BEEN TAKING EXCUSES FROM HERE. HE GAVE ME 7 DAYS WORTH OF DETENTION, HE SAID THAT IT WILL MAKE UP FOR ALL 78 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS THAT I HAVENT HANDED IN. IM SO ANNOYED. 😡😡😡😭😭😭🤬🤬🤬
good ones I wood love some more good ones
I forgot do my science project and these helped a lot 😁
Thank my deputy head who is a geography teacher actually believed these
thats goooooooooooooood
Thanks ill defo try some! tell me it if works people in the comment sections pls!
I didn’t attempt my tests during online classes due to COVID. Now colleges are going to be open. What reason should I give to the teacher for not attempting tests. I am very scared.😓
maybe say you got covid?
Computer crashed, wouldn’t load or your having internet problems. If ur still doing it..
Funny excuses you find in comics… deffo gotta try them tho
I used it for my English assignment it really helped me!😁
I tried the “tell the truth” excuse and my teacher caned me!
In future I will be informing her of the death of my late hamster. Rip Hammy.
I will also try my own excuse, my pen decided to be transgender and for that reason I couldn’t touch it in case of sexual assault claims.
Thank you Penina
😂😂that pen one is brilliant
I love this, it will work so good these days :)
Great to hear that, thank you!
Nice bro Thx
most of them will probably still get me a detention in my school, but i think the shredder and the bus one is good
it is good excuse but it did not work . and by the way Allah will not forgive me that i lie
You should just tell the truth never lie
Just do your H/W on the date it is given.
it aint that easy, i wish it was tho
yea so um i have tis HUGE assignment due tm but its lik 11 pm i need to go to sleep on top of that i have an exem tomorrow and lost my locker keys so im just gonna say “i did it but i left it at home i will bring it tomorow” but the problem is that i have to do it tomarow
Nice for every time excuse bro
Thanks so much to this website. It has been AMAZING!!! 😁😁😁
There’s one if you have a sibling I thought up if you don’t do your hw and it’s bin two days, my (brother/sister) accidentally put it in (his/her) rucksack. The next day you can say, when you get to school tell your teacher my (brother/sister) binned it. If it was printed say your printer broke.
thank my teacher didnt understand
Or you could say that you were working on it in your room or at your house and that you forgot to bring it (worked for me several times)
Me too
Loved it wow
I used tell the truth she was not very happy and she told me to do it tonight- I haven’t done it 😰😰😰
live-saving excuses lol🤣but it would be better to have work done anyway
Thanks man! It really helped
I need more please I have used them all
very useful easy to use and good advice
Hi Lexi, thanks for the lovely feedback, great to hear that you found this useful!