It would be great if all of us were perfect, but this is an imperfect world, and we all make mistakes.
A good friend, colleague, or boss will make sure to point out our mistakes so that we can improve, and we should be grateful for that!
Thus, here’s a list of alternative ways to say “thank you for pointing this out” to show those around you that you’re a good sport who takes feedback on the chin!
Other Ways to Say “Thank You for Pointing This Out”
- Thank you for bringing this to my attention
- Thanks for catching that
- Thank you for alerting me to that
- Thank you for pointing me in the right direction
- Thanks for letting me know
- Thank you for being so candid
- My bad, thanks
- Thank you, I hadn’t thought of that
- I appreciate you mentioning that
- You’re right, thank you
- You were right to point that out
- Thank you for the correction
- Thank you for the feedback
- Pardon my mistake
- Thanks for the help
- Thank you for informing me about this
- Thanks for setting me straight
- Thanks for clarifying that for me
- Thanks, that’s my bad
- Thank you, that’s very helpful
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The phrase “thank you for pointing this out” is grammatically correct and suitable to use in formal and informal circumstances.
- As a formal alternative, you can say “thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
- As an informal alternative, you can say “thanks for catching that.”
Before you click away! We’re about to discuss our choice of formal and informal synonyms for “thank you for pointing this out.”
Thereafter, we’ll consider the correctness of the original phrase. Should you use the pronoun “this” or “that”?
Thank You for Bringing This to My Attention (Formal)
In formal circumstances, particularly at work, it’s always good to receive constructive criticism.
One of the ways to express gratitude when a colleague or superior points out a mistake you’ve made is to say “thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
This is not a better phrase than “thank you for pointing this out,” but you can use it to change up your language every now and then, either in person or in an email.
Consider the examples below:
Dear Gage,
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will send over a corrected version of the document at the end of the week.
Kind regards,
Rachel
Person 1: I’ve noticed an error in your calculation here – this month’s income shouldn’t be included in quarter 4.
Person 2: Ah, this is quite a big error, thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Thanks for Catching That (Informal)
Another way to say “thank you for pointing this out” is “thanks for catching that.”
As this phrase makes use of the word “thanks” and the idiomatic expression, “catching that,” it is a more casual expression, suitable for informal circumstances.
While we wouldn’t recommend using this phrase in response to feedback from your boss, it can be used in a work setting when you’re speaking to coworkers with whom you have a friendly dynamic.
Again, “thank you for pointing this out” is an equally effective phrase in informal settings, but you can use this phrase to change your wording from time to time.
Finally, let’s see an example making use of this phrase:
Person 1: I noticed a spelling error on page 4. You might want to rework that before publishing.
Person 2: Oh, thanks for catching that!
Is It Correct to Say “Thank You for Pointing This Out”?
The phrase “thank you for pointing this out” is grammatically correct.
Moreover, it is perfectly appropriate to use this phrase in either formal or informal situations to thank someone for correcting you.
Therefore, while our list of synonyms can help you shake up your phrasing every now and then, the original phrase is fine on its own as well.
Additionally, you can slightly alter the phrase to suit the context you’re in. For example:
- Thank you for pointing this out to me
- Thank you for pointing this out to us
These alternatives can be used in a broad range of situations, but where you want to make it clear that you are grateful for feedback or constructive criticism, you can say one of the following:
- Thank you for pointing out the error
- Thank you for pointing out my mistake
You may be wondering whether there’s a difference between using the demonstrative pronoun “this” or “that” in this phrase. We’ll discuss that next!
Essentially “this” is used to refer to something close to you, while “that” is used to refer to something further away. Since an error isn’t necessarily a tangible thing, either can be used for the purposes of this phrase.
Thus, “thank you for pointing that out” is just as correct as “thank you for pointing this out.”
If you find our list of synonyms helpful, go ahead and bookmark this page for future reference!