9 Better Ways to Say “To My Understanding”

When you’re talking about things you recall or know about in your writing, “to my understanding” works well. However, it’s not the most appropriate phrase as it can be quite jarring in the middle of a sentence. This article will explore some alternatives that might help.

The preferred synonyms are “as I understand it,” “as far as I know,” and “from what I understand.” You can use these phrases to show that you’ve understood something in your way. This phrase is often followed by a statement loosely based on fact, with your opinion sprinkled in.

As I Understand It

“As I understand it” works really well. It’s the best alternative because it shows that you’re trying to come up with a good reason or conclusion for something. It is all based on what you “understand” from a situation.

It is most common to use “as I understand it” as an introductory clause. It allows you to introduce your thought process, which might help people to understand more about the current situation or context.

• As I understand it, they were not supposed to be going out tonight. I’m not sure why they decided to go against that rule.
• As I understand it, you were going to be the one they relied on for this to go well. Have they not approached you about that?
• There have been a few different options, as I understand it. I don’t know which option will be most appropriate, but it’s worth a look.

As Far As I Know

“As far as I know” is a great phrase you can use as a synonym. It shows that you have limited information that might be relevant to help someone understand something.

“As far as” is used here to show that there’s a limit. “I know” allows people to understand what you think about something. Together, the phrase means that there is a limit to your knowledge, but you want to share your opinion anyway.

• As far as I know, nobody has come along to say that you’re incorrect about this. I suppose that means we should trust you for now.
• As far as I know, there was no mention of anything like this happening in either of these cities. It all seems to be baseless rumors.
• There were a couple of issues presented to the governor, as far as I know. I don’t think she did anything about them, though.

From What I Understand

“From what I understand” is another good synonym. It allows you to show what you’ve understood from a situation. If someone has presented you with enough information, you should be able to come up with an “understanding.”

“From what” is a good choice to start this phrase. It’s most common as an introductory phrase. You’ll almost always find it at the start of a sentence before explaining what you understand.

• From what I understand, you have a long way to go before they consider you to be one of their own. That’s just how these things go.
• From what I understand, someone is going to have to do the work still. I don’t think it just goes away for no reason, to be honest.
• From what I understand, Matthew was supposed to be doing this today. Clearly, he didn’t get the message, as he’s not here.

From What I’ve Gathered

“From what I’ve gathered” shows that you’ve tried to put information together to come to a conclusion. You can “gather” information to try and help you figure out what the truth might be about something.

It’s a slightly more informal way to say “from what I understand.” People will use a phrase like this to show that they’ve tried to gather all of the information necessary for a situation before jumping to any conclusions.

• I will talk to you more about it later. From what I’ve gathered, though, there are some issues that the parents have had with each other.
• From what I’ve gathered, Samantha thought it would be funny to go around and do something like that. Nobody agreed with her.
• From what I’ve gathered, the fields are not ready to be picked yet. You’ll have to give them another few days before they’re ready to go.

To My Knowledge

“To my knowledge” allows you to show what you know about a situation. It doesn’t claim that you know everything, and it’s just a way to explain what you might know. It might help to fill in the gaps in someone else’s knowledge if they don’t have all the information.

Phrases like this are most useful when you’re trying to get to the bottom of a story or situation. The more people who say “to my knowledge,” the more pieces of the puzzle you can figure out. This should help you come up with a decent conclusion.

• To my knowledge, someone was supposed to be here to talk us through the day plan. I’m not sure where they are.
• To my knowledge, there were too many errors in the system at the time. Clearly, someone inputted the data incorrectly.
• I can’t say much more to my knowledge. I haven’t had much time to learn about what’s going on around here, in all honesty.

The Way I See It

“The way I see it” shows that you’re sharing an opinion. The way you see something relates to how you might perceive it and what you expect from it. You can use this phrase at the start of a sentence to share an opinion to help someone out.

This phrase isn’t as based on knowledge as the other choices.

While something like “to my knowledge” or “as I understand it” explains facts based on your thoughts and feelings, “the way I see it” is purely based on speculation and opinions.

• The way I see it, there are only two ways this can go. Neither of them is positive, so it will just depend on what happens next.
• The way I see it, someone is going to have to come along and help us out. We simply don’t have the manpower to do this alone.
• Look, the way I see it, I don’t think it’s fair that you’re treating him like this. He deserves so much better than what you’re giving him.

If I Understand Correctly

“If I understand correctly” is a great choice that doesn’t make any assumptions. “Correctly” is used as an adverb here to show that you’re trying to come up with your own understanding while being as close to the truth as possible.

Remember, any “understanding” that you make in your writing is purely based on personal opinion or the information you might have. There is no guarantee that something is true.

Using “correctly” as a modifier here shows that you think you know all of the facts, but you might not be completely “correct.” It leaves room for someone to correct you if you’re not quite right.

• If I understand correctly, you want me to help you out with all of this before someone finds out that you can’t do it yourself. Right?
• If I understand correctly, she didn’t want anything to do with you. I’m sorry, but there isn’t much else we can do about that.
• If I understand correctly, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened to you. Is that correct?

If I Remember Correctly

“If I remember correctly” is another good choice that uses the adverb “correctly.” This time, it relates to something that you might have come across in your past. “Remember” is used to show that you’re trying to recall something from before.

“Remember” is a bit more specific than “understand.” “Understand” can be inferred from things in the past or present. “Remember” only comes from things that have happened in the past.

• If I remember correctly, someone had already attempted to complete this task, but they were met with resistance. I wonder what that’s about.
• If I remember correctly, you weren’t the only one to say those terrible things. There were quite a few mutineers around here.
• If I remember correctly, Sheila wanted to talk to you. I’m not sure what she wanted to say, but I know she wanted to let you know something.

If I Recall

“If I recall” is similar to “If I remember.” “Recall” and “remember” are synonymous when referring to things that have happened in your past. If you’re thinking back to those things happening, you will be “recalling” the information.

You may add “correctly” to the end of the phrase again. It’s also possible to leave it out if you’re not entirely sure whether you’re correct.

• If I recall, there were a few errors in the processing. I don’t know what those errors were, but someone from IT told me about them.
• If I recall correctly, you’re not alone here. You told me that some people would be arriving to help you out. Where are they?
• I’m not sure if I recall what was said, but I know that something was going to happen today. Are you aware of that?