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I'm confused about the two linking phrases - "as far as I know" and "as far as my knowledge goes".

Actually, I never knew the latter existed. But my friend used the (second) phrase in a writing and my English teacher didn't pass it off as wrong. I had never actually heard of that before she used it. So, I wish to learn more about it.

They seem so similar. Do they differ in any way? Or there isn't any notable difference in their meanings? Can they more or less be used interchangeably? And, if they are different, when to use which?

Please clarify on this issue.

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    "As far as I know" is a very common phrase, at least in American English. "As far as my knowledge goes" might carry a similar meaning, but sounds more formal and less familiar.
    – BradC
    Nov 17, 2016 at 15:21
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    A more familiar phrase would be "to the best of my knowledge".
    – Carl
    Nov 18, 2016 at 4:05
  • Since “as far as my knowledge goes” isn't an established phrase, I would likely interpret it literally, meaning something slightly different than “as far as I know/am aware”. “AFAIK” essentially means, “I believe I know this; unless I'm not mistaken, it's XYZ”. It is used when you're not entirely l sure if you're aware of/correct about something or not. “As far as my knowledge goes” would be if you know quite a bit about a subject, but your knowledge may not be deep enough to answer your current quandary.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Nov 19, 2016 at 10:55
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    @JanusBahsJacquet I know the meaning of "As far as I know". But, my friend used the latter in a writing and my English teacher didn't pass it off as wrong. I never actually heard of that. So, that's why, I asked the question. Now I realise my friend had made that up by her own.
    – Soha Farhin Pine
    Nov 19, 2016 at 12:59

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Native speakers say to the best of my knowledge when speaking a bit formally.

They almost never say as far as my knowledge goes, which is understandable but alien.

As far as I know is fine and less formal than to (the best of) my knowledge.

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  • “To my knowledge” or “to the best of my knowledge”.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Nov 19, 2016 at 10:51
  • @JanusBahsJacquet Good point, thanks. I can’t really imagine myself producing “to my knowledge” anything as often as “to the best of my knowledge”. Either way, they both smack of stuffy legalese or bureaucratese when compared with run-of-the-mill expressions like (As) far as I know/can tell.
    – tchrist ♦
    Nov 19, 2016 at 19:31

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