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What exactly is the difference between FWIW and IMHO?

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2 Answers

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  • In my humble opinion (IMHO) underlines that the following is your personal opinion (as opposed, for example, to facts or to your company’s official position on an issue).
  • For what it's worth (FWIW) is a disclaimer that your contribution to the debate might be considered marginal, i.e. that it may not address the heart of the problem, but you still find it has some applicability.

In short: no, they are not equivalent.

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so am i right to say that they mean the same thing? – Pacerier May 7 '11 at 19:19
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They do not mean the same thing. That is what the no that F'x added to his answer means. Study the definitions above to see how they differ. – mgkrebbs May 7 '11 at 19:53
@mgkrebbs: yes, I should have been clearer – F'x May 7 '11 at 20:13
No, not the same. IMHO means "I think," and FWIW means "I have no idea but..." – The Raven May 7 '11 at 22:53
@The Raven: Actually, that is not correct either. F'x's definition is accurate. – MrHen Jun 13 '11 at 21:21
up vote 1 down vote

FTR:

Note that IMHO tends slightly to END a sentence, whereas FWIW tends slightly to BEGIN a sentence.

For example, that sentence could have "FWIW:" at the beginning of it.

On the other hand, that sentence could have IMO at the end of it.

Just FYI.

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