"as far as I know" vs "to my knowledge" etc.

[Nobody]

Hi,

Do the following expressions all mean the same and interchangeable or is there any difference among them?

1.as far as I know
2.to my knowledge
3.to my understanding
4.to the best of my knowledge
5.to the best of my understanding

For example,
As far as I know, the meeting was canceled.

Thanks a lot.

[Alan]

Hi,

They all mean roughly the same. The difference is in how elaborate each is. Probably 'as far as I know' is the most common. I'm not really happy with 'to my understanding' which sounds awkward. I would suggest instead : As I understand (it).

Alan
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[Nobody]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for your answer. But I don't understand what you mean by "The difference is in how elaborate each is".
Could you please give me an example to explain the difference among them? In addition, do these expressions: 'to my understanding' and 'to the best of my understanding' exist? I can't find them in the dictionaries.

Thanks a lot.

[Nobody]

Hi,

I'v been waiting for the answer to my questions above. Could someone else please help me with my confusion? I would be very grateful for your reply and help.

[Alan]

Hi,

By 'elaborate' I meant in a way how long the expression is and also 'elaborate' suggests affected. Most people, I think, would say 'as far as I know' suggesting simply 'I believe that ...' To my ear the others sound a little bit pompous.

Alan
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[Nobody]

Hi Alan,

Thanks very much again for your reply.
You said 'to my understanding' sounds awkward. Does it mean it is not a correct expression? How about 'to the best of my understanding'? Is it also not correct?

Thank you

[Torsten]

Maybe 'in my understand' would sound better.
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