To the best of our knowledge

You will mostly see this at the start of a sentence. It sets the stage for the fact you are about to share. For example, if a client asks if a product is in stock, you might say, To the best of our knowledge, the item is available. You can also tuck it at the end of a statement if you want to sound a bit more casual, though it is still quite stiff. Think of it as a prefix for any fact that might change later. In digital spaces, it’s common in emails, Slack updates, and official company statements. It’s the phrase you reach for when you want to sound like an expert who respects the truth but knows the truth can be slippery. Don't use it for things you should definitely know, like your own birthday. That would be weirdly suspicious. Use it for data, timelines, and third-party information.

This phrase is the tuxedo of English expressions. It is formal, polished, and very professional. You’ll find it in contracts, press releases, and high-stakes business emails. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is texting your best friend 'idk' and 10 is a Supreme Court ruling, this sits comfortably at an 8. It’s too heavy for a casual Saturday brunch. If you tell your roommate, To the best of our knowledge, we are out of milk, they might think you’ve spent too much time in the office. It belongs in the 'Business English' category. It signals that you are speaking on behalf of a group or a company. If you are just speaking for yourself, you might switch 'our' to 'my,' but the 'our' version sounds more authoritative and corporate. It’s perfect for LinkedIn posts or Zoom presentations where you want to sound serious.

Picture a tech support agent responding to a major server outage. They don't want to promise the site will be back in an hour and be wrong. So they tweet: To the best of our knowledge, services will be restored by noon. This protects the company if the fix takes longer. Or, imagine an Instagram influencer who was sponsored by a brand that turned out to be a scam. They might post a story saying, To the best of our knowledge at the time, the company was legitimate. It’s a way of saying 'I did my best to check, so please don't cancel me.' You’ll also see it in those long 'Terms and Conditions' windows that everyone clicks 'Agree' on without reading. It’s basically the fine print of human conversation. Even in a job interview, if they ask about a gap in your resume, you could say, To the best of our knowledge, that project was completed successfully before I left. Wait, use 'my' there unless you have a mouse in your pocket.

Use this phrase when the stakes are high. If being wrong could cost you money, your job, or your reputation, use this caveat. It is perfect for situations where you are relaying information from another source. For instance, if you’re telling a boss what a vendor said, use this phrase to distance yourself from the vendor’s potential mistakes. It’s also great for giving status updates on complex projects where things change fast. If you're traveling and someone asks if a flight is on time, and you've only checked the app, it’s a safe bet. It shows you are helpful but not a fortune teller. Use it when you want to look like a pro who understands that information is often incomplete. It’s the linguistic version of 'I’m pretty sure, but don't quote me on it.'

Avoid this phrase in intimate or very casual settings. It sounds cold and distant. Don't use it when someone asks if you love them—that’s a one-way ticket to a breakup! Also, don't use it for simple, verifiable facts that you are supposed to be certain about. If your boss asks if you finished a report, saying To the best of our knowledge, it is done makes it sound like you didn't even check your own computer. It can make you look lazy or evasive if overused. It’s also a bad idea to use it when you actually *know* the information is false. That’s just lying with extra steps. If the information is 100% confirmed and you are the source of that truth, just state the fact. Adding this phrase makes you sound like you’re hiding something behind a curtain of corporate jargon.

A very common slip-up is changing the preposition. Many people say At the best of our knowledge or In the best of our knowledge. Neither is correct. It must be To. Another mistake is using 'knowing' instead of 'knowledge.' To the best of our knowing sounds like a bad poem. Some people also try to shorten it to To our knowledge, which is actually fine and quite common, but it loses a bit of that 'I tried my hardest' flavor that the word best provides. Finally, don't mix up the pronouns. If you are the only one who knows, use my. Using our when you are clearly just one person makes you sound like a Victorian monarch or someone with a very serious identity crisis. Stick to the standard formula for the best results.

The most frequent sibling of this phrase is To the best of my knowledge. It is identical in meaning but personal. Another one is As far as we know, which is the 'business casual' version. It’s still professional but feels a bit more like a button-down shirt instead of a full suit. Then there is As far as we are aware, which is very popular in British English. If you want to be super formal, you might say Based on the information currently available to us. On the slang side, people just say AFAIK (As Far As I Know) in texts and Slack channels. It’s the fast-food version of our phrase. While they all mean the same thing, To the best of our knowledge remains the gold standard for official, serious communication that needs to sound bulletproof.

Is this phrase only for business? Mostly, yes. While you can use it elsewhere, it carries a heavy professional weight. Can I use it in a text? Sure, if you want to sound like a lawyer. Otherwise, just use AFAIK. Does it mean I might be wrong? Yes, that’s exactly what it means. It’s a polite way of saying 'I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.' Is it the same as 'I think'? It’s much stronger than 'I think.' It implies you have actually checked the facts, whereas 'I think' can just be a random guess you had while eating a sandwich. If you want to impress a boss, use the 'knowledge' version. It sounds like you actually do work.