Is there a difference between IMO (In My Opinion) and IMHO (In My Honest Opinion)? You see both forms frequently being used in online conversatiosn. Do they mean the same, or is there a slight difference in meaning?
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6I thought it was "In My Humble Opinion"– d'alar'copMar 14, 2014 at 8:53
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2I personally use them interchangeably, I seriously doubt that stating that your opinion is "humble" in abbreviation makes the recipient view your statement in some other way. But I guess it is only my humble opinion, as self-deprecation (as stated by Barrie) might mean something for someone.– VilmarMar 14, 2014 at 8:55
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2 Answers
The H stands for 'humble', not 'honest'. So IMHO is self-deprecatory. IMO is not.
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1Interesting. I've generally assumed it meant honest, as well. Probably because I've more commonly heard the phrase with honest than with humble. Do AE speakers value honesty above humility or do I just surround myself with a less humble crowd? Phrases like "honestly, I think..." and "to be honest..." are intriguing ways to preface opinions, I think.– MikeMar 14, 2014 at 10:50
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I'm new to Ngrams, but it appears that humble opinions are 100-fold more popular than honest opinions!– MikeMar 14, 2014 at 11:00
In my humble opinion, not honest. Thus no, they are not equivalents, since IMO is not humble.