Have you ever been somewhere, perhaps a grocery store or restaurant, let’s say, with a friend, and you buy their lunch or items? You’re doing so out of the kindness of your heart, or maybe to make up for a time they paid for you, regardless, I bet you’re expecting to hear the words “thank you,” right? Then, they throw a curve ball at you. Instead of hearing “thank you,” you hear something like ” You shouldn’t have” or ” I owe you one.” Yeah, there are so many ways to say thank you in English. So, let me apologize in advance.
Learning a new language is, for most people, by the book. This means that whatever is taught, you learn. Whatever is in your English course, book, class, or what have you, that is what you end up learning. So, it is safe to say that you may have only learned the typical “thank you” or “thanks.” Well, I’m here to tell you that there are so many other ways to say thank you, and to express gratitude in English. Keep reading to find out!
Casual ways to say thank you in English
It’s Christmas, your neighbor has just baked you a Christmas pie and left it on your doorstep. What should you do? Sure, you can go with the normal, “thank you,” and leave it at that, but are there other ways you can express your thanks too without being so, well, normal? The answer is yes! Yes, outside of the normal “thank you,” there are a few more, very casual ways to say “thank you” in English. Here are my top three different ways to say thank you.
1. Thanks!
Now, okay, I’m sure you already knew this one, but yes, it is another way to say “thank you” in English. However, did you know that by adding the ‘s’ and exclamation point, it actually emphasizes your gratitude? Yes, you heard that right. We all know that exclamation points are used to emphasize a word, but in this case, it can actually be used to emphasize a feeling. This is why “thanks!” is number one on my list of casual ways to say thank you in English.
2. You’re the best
This is more of a unique way to say “thank you,” but it is still extremely popular, especially amongst the younger generation. Picture this situation: You’re at work, your neighbor calls you saying your dog has escaped and is now running loose all over the neighborhood. What can you do? You’re at work. You then ask your neighbor if they mind chasing and taking care of your dog until you arrive back. They say: “Sure, no problem.” To which you reply: “You’re the best.” I mean, come on. A neighbor like that must really be the best though, right? They deserve more that just a small “thank you.” That’s why, “You’re the best” is number two on my list of casual ways to say thank you in English. It’s casual, yes, but it is very meaningful.
3. I can’t thank you enough
Ok, so this one actually has the words “thank you” in it, but it still counts as another way to say thank you, I promise. This quite literally means that I owe you all the “thank yous’” from infinity to beyond. Words alone cannot express my thanks. That is what ” I can’t thank you enough” means. So, for example, I usually say this to my babysitter. As a parent, we usually only get a couple nights a year to ourselves. Of course you can have more if it’s in your budget, but for me at least, I stick to about two. Now, when I find a babysitter, and they do not bother me non-stop on my day out without kids, I immediately come back home to say ” I can’t thank you enough” because, as much as I love my kids, it’s great to have some kid free, stress free time as well.
Ways to say thank you formally, such as at work
Working in an English speaking environment, when you’re not a native English speaker can be a bit intimidating. Trust me, I know. I too have experience working abroad and having to speak a foreign language. I am always very careful what I say at work because I am so afraid of being too in-formal or maybe even overly formal. It’s definitely a challenge. That being said, I am here to make your work life a little easier, hopefully, by also giving you my top three different ways to say thank you in English, at a work environment.
1. I appreciate your help
It’s Monday morning and your computer doesn’t seem to be working at all. Nothing is loading, you can’t find your files, it’s just a mess now. What do you do? You call your I.T. guy and explain what’s happening, and in just a few clicks, he fixes everything. I.T. guys are gifted like that, aren’t they? Now, what will be a good way to say thank you to him? Like always, just a simple “thank you” will suffice, but we are trying to challenge ourselves and think outside the box here. So, you start wracking your brain, trying to think of how to say thank you in English. You respond with ” I appreciate your help!” It’s formal, work appropriate, yet different from your standard reply, and that’s why this phrase is number one on my list of ways to say thank you at work.
2. Thank you for your assistance with…
This one is definitely a popular one amongst the workplace, especially if you work with a team. Just how a basketball team has multiple players that work together, with the same goal in mind, to achieve success, perhaps your team at work also works this way. Now, if one player (co-worker) drops the ball and doesn’t quite complete their task, but another does it for them, you can expect that co-worker to say something along the lines of “Thank you for assistance with that project of mine.” This is formal, workplace appropriate, and overall, just a very kind thing to say to a co-worker that helps out. It reassures them that their hard work does not go un-noticed, and that’s why this phrase is number two on my list of ways to say thank you at work.
3. Thank you for your kind consideration
Ok, let’s say your applying for a job. You have been looking everywhere to no avail, and you finally get an interview. You completely rock that interview and now, it’s the moment of truth. You just received an email with an offer letter and a prospective start date for you at your new job. Congratulations, but wait! How do you respond? You definitely don’t want to send an email saying only “thank you,” right? That’s where this phrase comes in handy. You could also easily search “thank you synonym” or thank you synonyms in English” online or in a dictionary too, and you could respond saying “Thank you for your kind consideration, I am extremely excited to start this new chapter with you.” It’s formal, workplace appropriate, and again, the reason why this phrase is number three on my list of ways to say thank you at work.
Ways to say thank you in written English
Now that we have discussed how to verbally say thank you, both casually and formally, lets talk about other words for thank you in English, and how we can express our appreciation through written text. This can be extremely helpful when replying to emails, writing out holiday cards, and of course, thank you cards! Here are my top three ways of saying thank you in written English.
1. Thank you very/so much
This one is by far the more common ones you may come across in written English. Just by adding two extra words, you have transformed your simple “thank you” into something more meaningful and, in my opinion, neat. Signing my name with this is my go-to when writing my thank you cards. Imagine the smile it can put on someone’s face when they feel appreciated by reading “thank you so much!” rather than just a simple “thank you.” To me, it just seems much more personal, sincere, and overall more appropriate in written situations, and that’s why it’s my number one on my list of ways to say thank you in written English.
2. Many thanks
This one is definitely an easy escape when thinking of how to say thank you, especially in emails. In fact, a lot of companies are instructed to sign their emails, to paying customers, using “many thanks.” Again, this is just another word for thank you, but it is just slightly better than the standard “thank you,” and it is even more useful when you are addressing a group of people. Say, a retirement e-mail for example, you are retiring after a long career, you want to thank you team, a group of 20-30 people. Signing the e-mail with “many thanks” is much more appropriate than the simple “thank you” here, which is why “many thanks” is my second on my list of ways to say thank you in written English.
3. Thank you for going above and beyond
This one is another one you may often come across, especially if you’re an over-achiever. This basically just let’s the recipient know that you see and appreciate all their hard work and effort. It makes them feel special, wanted, and appreciated. It’s another way to say thank you, but with more emotion. It is used in situations where the recipient of this special thanks and compliment has gone out of their way to do something for you. It’s a great way to show thanks to someone who has helped you out tremendously, and that’s why it is also number three on my list of ways to say thank you in written English.
Now that you know more ways to say thank you in English, I encourage you to go out there and use them. There are always things to be grateful for and reasons to say thanks. This is only just a small amount of all the many ways we can say thank you in English. There are most likely a couple dozen, if not more ways, that I didn’t even mention here. So, if you hear a new way, don’t be alarmed. I suppose we English speakers are just very appreciative.