“Special Thanks Go To” Or “Special Thanks Goes To”? Explained Here!

The phrase “special thanks go to” works well when you want to reserve a form of high praise for somebody. However, do we use the word “go” or “goes” when we’re writing it? This article will look into which version is correct and when we can use them.

Is It “Special Thanks Go To” Or “Special Thanks Goes To”?

“Special thanks go to” is correct to use when we don’t use any other article before the phrase (i.e., “special thanks go to my wife”). “Special thanks goes to” is only correct when an indefinite article comes before it (i.e., “a special thanks goes to my wife”).

Both phrases are correct, and there isn’t one that we might tend to use over the other. The only key difference comes from using an article like “a” or not.

“Go” is the infinitive form of the verb, which is why it works when we don’t include any articles in the sentence. “Goes” is the third person singular, so an article is required before it makes sense.

What Are “Special Thanks”?

Now that we’ve covered when to use which version let’s go over what “special thanks” means.

“Special thanks” is something that we give to people who aren’t directly involved in a project we were working on. Instead, we want to thank them for something unrelated that they’ve done to make our lives better and get us where we are today.

It’s very common for people in the film and television industry to include “special thanks” in their award speeches or at the end of credits. It’s a way of thanking people like their best friends or parents for being there for them, even if they had no direct impact on their overall success.

Can I Use “Special Thanks To” Without Go/Goes?

There are times where the verb form “go” doesn’t need to be used. However, the only cases where this might make more sense are in casual or colloquial cases.

“Special thanks to” works in spoken English because it doesn’t follow as strict a set of rules as written English. However, if you want to be correct, you’ll want to use “go” or “goes” as the verb form to show that the “thanks” is being delivered to somebody.

We can see that they’re both similar phrases by looking at the following examples:

• My special thanks go to my parents for always looking out for me!
• Special thanks to the hard-working people behind the scenes who you never get to see!

Both of these sentences are correct with and without “go.” However, it’s best to use “go” in writing, but speaking allows you to remove it if it helps you.

Examples Of How To Use “Special Thanks” In A Sentence

Some examples will do wonders to help you understand the phrase more. Once you’ve seen it in a few example sentences, you’ll have a much better understanding of how you can use it yourself.

1. Special thanks go to my peers for all that they’ve done for me in this trying time.
2. I offer my special thanks to all those who lost their lives fighting for this just cause.
3. A special thanks goes to everyone in my life who told me I’d get here today if I just persevered.
4. Special thanks go to Terry, without whom, I would never have made it to where I am.
5. Special thanks go to my mother! She’s always been my biggest supporter, and I’m glad that I’ve finally made her proud.
6. My special thanks go to all of my brothers in arms out there, and I hope you find this message soon!
7. Special thanks to my editor for helping me with the final preparations of this novel. I couldn’t have written it without them.

“Special thanks” works when we want to thank somebody who isn’t directly responsible for our success. That usually refers to anyone other than ourselves who we’re willing to attribute some amount of success towards.

It’s similar to saying something like, “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Is It Special Thanks To Or Too?

“Special thanks to” is correct because we use “to” as a preposition to introduce the person that we’re delivering the “thanks” for.” “Too” is only used to mean “also,” which is incorrect in this case, and we should never use it.

Here are some examples to explain the differences:

• Correct: Special thanks to those who were behind me the whole way!
• Incorrect: Special thanks too my mother, who I miss dearly.
• Correct: Special thanks go to my old high school friends, who helped me to realize my potential.
• Incorrect: Special thanks go too my father, who knew I had what it took to make it here.

Should I Use “A Special Thank You” Or “A Special Thanks”?

“Thanks” and “thank you” are synonymous. We often use “thanks” as a short form of “thank you,” and it’s the less formal option of the two. But what happens when we use “special thanks” or “special thank you?”

You should use “a special thanks” more often because it’s better to get to the point as “thanks” is a shortened form of “thank you.” It’s much more common to use the phrase informally, which is why it works as “thanks” rather than “thank you.”

This Google Ngram Viewer graph shows that “a special thanks” is the more popular choice of the two. They both grew in popularity around the 1960s, but “thanks” was always the more successful option than “thank you.”

The choice is ultimately yours to make, but most people stick to the much simpler “special thanks.”

9 Good Synonyms For “Special Thanks”

Finally, let’s look at some good synonyms that might help you. We can replace “special thanks” with any of the following and still have the same meaning conveyed:

• Special appreciation
• My thanks to
• Special recognition
• Certain thanks
• Many thanks
• Several thanks
• Big thanks
• This goes out to
• I couldn’t have done it without

All of these synonyms work well to introduce a person in your life who has helped you succeed on a project of some kind, even without direct involvement.

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