Is “Thanks Much” Correct? (What to Say Instead)

Sometimes when reading or listening to people talk in English, you’ll discover an expression you weren’t familiar with. Sometimes, you might wonder if the expression is correct. Is “thanks much” correct? This article will answer whether it is, and present you with alternatives either way.

Is “Thanks Much” Correct?

“Thanks much” can be considered correct but only in specific contexts, as it’s a very specific regional way to thank someone in a big way. It’s most popular in certain parts of the United States of America. Depending on your audience, people might be confused if you use “thanks much”.

Speaking is all about the context, and therefore you’ll have to judge the context of a specific conversation in order to know for sure whether you should say “thanks much”.

However, it’s worth stressing that “thanks much” is a relatively niche expression and that there are other ways to thank people that are significantly less niche and more popular.

Here are a few examples of “thanks much” that might sound awkward to you, because it’s an uncommon expression:

• Thanks much, I’ll be on my way now.
• Thanks much for the food and supplies you gifted to my team.
• Thanks much for all the help you’ve provided us lately.

What to Say Instead

We’ve established that “thanks much” is not incorrect, but it’s very niche and unpopular. So in this section we are going to compile several alternative synonym sentences that you can use instead, to guarantee that your audience fully understands what you’re saying, whether in real life or an email.

Thank You So Much

This is the most natural alternative for “thanks much”, as it can easily be argued that “thanks much” is a vastly shortened version of “thank you so much”. You can’t go wrong when using this phrase to thank someone for their help.

“Thanks” is an abbreviated version of “thank you”, and “much” is an abbreviated version of “so much”, so this is the way to go if you’re looking for a similar, more common phrase.

Here are a few examples of “thank you so much” in action:

1. Thank you so much for sending me the film prints early, you saved me.
2. Thank you so much for that lecture you gave us at the film conference.
3. Thank you so much for all the incredible work you’ve done at this company.
4. Thank you so much for being a really amazing presence to be around all this time.
5. Thank you so much for being around me and helping me out when I was at my lowest.

Many Thanks

A cool alternative to “thanks much” that you can use is “many thanks”. “Many thanks” is a good phrase to use because it’s slightly more formal, and is particularly common in writing, but it’s also very simple and understandable in spite of being more formal. It’s a very useful phrase.

“Many thanks” is a very simple phrase in its construction, as the way that it expresses a deep sense of thankfulness is by literally saying “many thanks”:

Here are some example sentences that will show you how to use “many thanks” in a sentence:

1. Many thanks for everything that you have done, and I’ll see you next week at work.
2. Many thanks, the work you’ve done today will be paying off for decades at this place.
3. Many thanks for the way that you have shaped these kids into amazing people.
4. Many thanks, I am really impressed by the work that you have put into this project.

Thanks A Lot

“Thanks a lot” is an interesting phrase, because it often gets used in a sarcastic way. However, it is possible to use it earnestly, without any sarcastic intent, and in that situation its a very fitting alternative to “thanks much” that people will understand.

“Thanks a lot” is a cool phrase because you’re telling them that you have “a lot” of “thanks” to give them, and it’s also a fairly popular phrase that your audience will understand.

These example sentences will showcase the proper way in which you can use “thanks a lot” in sentences:

1. Thanks a lot, now I can finally start working and it’s all thanks to your amazing work.
2. Thanks a lot, I’m amazed at how quickly you managed to repair my car.
3. Thanks a lot, I’ll be enjoying these cookies for a good while, I’m pretty sure.
4. Thanks a lot, her insights were really good and I’m glad to see her move onto better things.

Which Phrase Is Used the Most?

According to the Google Ngram Viewer, “thank you so much” is the most popular of all four phrases. Following it is “many thanks”, which is then followed by “thanks a lot”. Finally, “thanks much” is the least popular, and barely gets any use in comparison to the others.

The chart contains some really interesting information, like the fact that from the year 1900 to the year 2011, “many thanks” was by far the most popular of all the phrases.

However, “thank you so much” started slowly climbing the charts around 1975, and continued until in 2011 it finally surpassed “many thanks” and took the first popularity spot.

However, both phrases are still very much comparable in terms of popularity, so their spots are far from permanently locked in, and might change in the future.

“Thanks a lot” started picking up steam around the 1920s, and has stayed relatively consistent in its unpopularity, though its still far more popular than “thanks much”.

Finally, “thanks much” is easily the least popular of all four, though it should be noted that ever since the 2000s started, it has experienced some slight growth that points to more popularity.

Final Thoughts

“Thanks much” is technically correct, as it’s a very regional way to thank someone. However, it’s a niche enough expression that people might be confused when you use it, and you might prefer to use something else like “thank you so much”, “many thanks” or “thanks a lot”.