—| B1-B2 (intermediate |—

A common error that some English-language learners make is saying “Thanks, God” in the wrong context. Even though this is still generally understood, it is not correct and can, therefore, sound confusing.

The reason why this is an error is that “thanks” is an expression in North American English that is only used to show general gratitude to someone you are directly speaking to. This means that “Thanks, God” is an expression that is used when you are praying directly to God, telling him, “thank you.”

On the other hand, “Thank God” is used to express extreme gratitude that a situation ended positively when you thought it was going to end negatively. It does not mean that you are speaking, or praying, directly to God.

Even though “Thank God” sounds religious, it is so common in everyday language that it has lost most of its religious meaning. So, people who do not believe in God–or those who believe in non-Christian religions where there are multiple or no gods–still use this expression.

EXAMPLES:

1. “Thanks, God, for all that you have done for me and my family.” (prayer)

2. “Thank God my friend is still alive after that horrific car accident!” (extreme gratitude)

3. “Thank God you are here to help! I thought I was going to have to work on this huge project all by myself this weekend.” (extreme gratitude)

What sentences can you create with these expressions? Practice using them by leaving a comment below.

ASSOCIATED WORDS:

Some synonyms of “Thanks, God” include:

• Thank you, God/Jesus/Lord (standard)

• I appreciate it, God/Jesus/Lord (standard)

Some synonyms of “Thank God” include:

• Thank the Lord (informal)

• Thank goodness (informal; old-fashioned)

• Thankfully (standard)

• Good thing (informal)