told for certain

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "told for certain" is not standard in written English and may cause confusion.
It could be used in contexts where you want to emphasize that something has been confirmed or verified, but it is not a common expression. Example: "He was told for certain that the meeting would be rescheduled."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

It cannot be told for certain whether the death was suicide or an accident.

The New Yorker

"We haven't been told for certain that he will be out for the next six to 10 weeks but we are concerned," said England manager Roy Hodgson.

BBC

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

It's hard to tell for certain through these binoculars.

The New Yorker

Full marks to the editor for cutting away before we can tell for certain.

The Guardian - Film

Price said Chapman's delivery was sound — good weight transfer, proper release point — but there was no way to tell, for certain, if Chapman could sustain it.

The New York Times - Sports

Amid the crashing music and the excited shifting in the audience and the generally frantic choreography of the show, it was hard to tell for certain.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Sometimes a scene would be inexplicably dark, so that you couldn't tell for certain which character was talking or maybe even which characters were in the scene.

The New Yorker

It's too soon to tell for certain, but the region may well turn out to be the part of the world that suffers the most.

The New York Times

"But all we can tell for certain from magnetic resonance images is that the cysts were indeed collapsed where we placed the tissue.

The New York Times - Health

And they cannot be expected to spot deliberate falsifications if they are carried out with a modicum of subtlety.Fraud is very likely second to incompetence in generating erroneous results, though it is hard to tell for certain.

The Economist

If I couldn't tell for certain that I had, it's because the two published versions stood in the way of what had actually happened on my last night.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider alternatives like "informed for sure" or "notified with certainty" to enhance clarity and grammatical correctness when conveying confirmed information.

Common error

Refrain from using "told for certain" in formal writing, as it may be perceived as grammatically awkward or incorrect. Choose more conventional expressions to maintain clarity and credibility.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "told for certain" functions as a descriptive phrase aiming to emphasize the definiteness of information conveyed. However, Ludwig AI points out that it's not standard and can be replaced with more grammatically sound alternatives.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "told for certain" seeks to convey assurance in communication, it's not considered grammatically correct. As Ludwig AI highlights, it's better to use alternatives like "informed definitively" or "notified with certainty" for clarity and accuracy. The phrase mainly appears in news and media contexts, but it is advisable to avoid it in formal writing to maintain credibility.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

informed definitively

Replaces "told" with "informed" and "for certain" with "definitively", suggesting a clear and conclusive communication.

notified assuredly

Substitutes "told" with "notified" and "for certain" with "assuredly", indicating a confident notification.

advised with certainty

Replaces "told" with "advised" and "for certain" with "with certainty", conveying a strong sense of assurance in the advice.

confirmed unequivocally

Uses "confirmed" instead of "told" and "unequivocally" in place of "for certain", highlighting the absence of doubt in the confirmation.

related with assurance

Replaces "told" with "related" and "for certain" with "with assurance", suggesting the information was conveyed confidently.

imparted with conviction

Replaces "told" with "imparted" and "for certain" with "with conviction", emphasizing the speaker's strong belief in the information.

divulged conclusively

Substitutes "told" with "divulged" and "for certain" with "conclusively", indicating a final and decisive revelation.

revealed definitively

Replaces "told" with "revealed" and "for certain" with "definitively", pointing to a clear and authoritative disclosure.

communicated with precision

Substitutes "told" with "communicated" and "for certain" with "with precision", stressing the accuracy and clarity of the communication.

disclosed with assurance

Replaces "told" with "disclosed" and "for certain" with "with assurance", suggesting a confident and reliable disclosure.

FAQs

Is "told for certain" grammatically correct?

The phrase "told for certain" is not standard in written English and may cause confusion. Ludwig AI indicates it's not a common or grammatically sound expression.

What can I say instead of "told for certain"?

You can use alternatives like "informed definitively", "notified assuredly", or "advised with certainty" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "told for certain" or "told with certainty"?

"Told with certainty" is a more grammatically correct and widely accepted alternative to "told for certain".

What does "told for certain" mean?

The phrase aims to convey that someone has been informed about something in a definitive or assured manner, but it is not a standard English expression.