Did you share information with someone, and they responded by saying, ‘thanks for letting me know’? What does this mean, and what are some of the best ways to reply?
In short, ‘thanks for letting me know’ is a phrase that is used to let a person know that you appreciate and recognize an update they’ve given you. There are a number of appropriate responses, including ‘you’re welcome,’ ‘I’m happy to help,’ and ‘my pleasure.’
‘Thanks for letting me know’ is a common phrase you can use to let someone know that you recognize and value an update that they have shared with you. The phrase implies that another individual has given information to the speaker that they are grateful for.
You can use ‘thanks for letting me know’ in both formal and casual interactions.
For example, let’s say that someone warns you that the traffic is bad on the interstate you usually take to get to work. An appropriate response would be, ‘thanks for letting me know!’ Similarly, a person might tell you that the weather is going to take a turn for the worse as you start walking up a hiking trail. To let them know that you appreciate the warning, you could say, ‘thanks for letting me know!’
On the other hand, you could use the exact same phrase in more formal settings. If your boss sends you a message informing you that you’ll need to attend a training session, you could say ‘thanks for letting me know’ to communicate that you appreciate them keeping you in the loop.
It’s worth noting that ‘thanks for letting me know’ can sometimes convey a lack of genuine care if you use it to respond in a tense situation. For example, if you and a co-worker are having a dispute and they send you an email with additional negative comments about your work habits, ‘thanks for letting me know’ can come off as passive-aggressive.
How would you use ‘thanks for letting me know’ in a sentence?
Here are some examples:
You have a lot of options when it comes to responding to ‘thanks for letting me know.’ You’ll want to keep the context in mind when choosing a reply, as some responses are more formal than others.
You might find that it’s useful to also reiterate the benefit of the information in your response. Some examples of this approach include:
If the person responded to ‘thanks for letting me know’ to a change of schedule or other potentially inconvenient information, you could respond with something along the lines of:
What are some other phrases that have a similar meaning to 'thanks for letting me know'?
Here are some options to choose from. Depending on the context, you might find that some of these phrases are more applicable than others.
‘Thanks for letting me know’ is a polite way to acknowledge that you’ve received information from another person and that you appreciate the fact that they communicated it to you.
The only thing you want to watch out for when using this phrase is that it can sometimes come off as passive-aggressive if it's used in the wrong context. For example, if someone tells you that they are disappointed with your work recently, ‘thanks for letting me know’ comes off as sarcastic and bitter rather than gracious and appreciative.
When replying to ‘thanks for letting me know,’ consider the context before choosing a response.
You might find that something simple and casual like ‘any time!’ is appropriate in casual circumstances, while ‘I’m always happy to help’ might be a better choice for more formal settings.
If you’re looking to learn more English phrases, head over to our idioms blog for idioms, expressions, and adages that you can use in your writing.
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