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When chatting in Social Media or Stack Exchange chat rooms, I often see other users give some information which I already know. How should I reply?

Some people use "I know, right?" or "ikr" in internet slang. However, that sounds a bit harsh. "Thanks for letting me know" is a possibility but I think it's more for information you've just learned. Can you use it for information you already know?

What can be a substitute for "I know, right?"

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    From my perspective "I know, right?" would imply one feels engaged with the subject matter, and is a little surprised by it. "Did you see what X did?" "I know, right?" I would have said that "Thanks for letting me know." actually sounds sarcastic, especially online. Maybe the phrases are perceived differently in different places? – inappropriateCode Jul 31 '17 at 11:38
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    Why do you want to tell them you already know the info they told you? Can you give an example? Do you want to discuss it further or drop that topic? – Kat Jan 12 '18 at 5:58
  • @Kat I don't want to drop the topic because I welcome answers and suggestion from other users too. I want to say that I know that because during conversations, people went on explaining topics which I already knew (sometimes better than them). This is a waste of quality time of both of us. So, I want to cut the topic in the beginning and save the time. Sometimes after saying "ikr" , they felt rudeness or sarcastic. That is why I posted this question. – Nog Shine Jan 12 '18 at 6:27
  • I'd still like to see an example of where you said "ikr" and the other person took it poorly. It works great in some contexts but not others. I think the context is the root of your issue. I'll post an answer with a different perspective than the current answers if you edit in an example. Up to you. – Kat Jan 13 '18 at 1:00
  • I think in technical conversations there is always the risk that during a detailed explanation you cover ground that the audience has already covered. The person doing the explaining can't know without some feedback. It's perfectly normal to say something along the lines of 'thanks, yeah, I know that - I have been working with that over 10 years'. Dry technical conversation requires directness. There is always going to be someone who feels offended, and I think it's better to just say things direct and not worry about 'politeness'. – Sentinel Jun 11 '19 at 11:40
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Maybe I'm out of the loop but I was always of the opinion that "ikr" means "I feel the same way". I was taught as a kid not to say "I know" because "it's rude"... I'm not sure that's true but it's given me the chance to find lots of alternates.

The Urban Dictionary page for "I know, right" seems to agree with this. The top definition is

It's complete agreement in what is being said.

So, alternates would be:

I completely agree.
I've always felt that way, too.
I feel the same way.
We're on the same page.

I think that all of these imply to some degree that you already know what they're saying and if you want to be clear, you can combine them.

I completely agree... actually, I've always felt that way, too.

Granted, these are somewhat more formal than "IKR" or "I know, right". But if you are in a sufficiently informal situation you can probably simply say "IKR" or "I know, right".

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    I was under impression that "ikr" stands for "I know, really" until I saw this question. – Vylix Jun 30 '17 at 2:18
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    I'll often just shorten it to "right???" More question marks means more agreement :) – David K Jan 12 '18 at 13:08
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    @DavidK Without the original context I'd assume that that had a different meaning. – wizzwizz4 Mar 28 '18 at 19:12
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If you afraid of offending someone, just say "yeah" or "yup". As "ikr" has been used widely, I don't think anyone will be offended or even realize the sarcastic tone (if you mean one).

Why do you need to state that you already know that? If you want to convey that you (already) understand it, "got it" and "I see" will suffice. If you really want to say "I already know that", just say so, or "ikr", or "yeah, I know".

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  • Hey - can you please explain why this would be a good course of action? What's the thought process behind this advice? Thanks. – Mithical Jan 1 '18 at 22:16
  • The thought process is already explained: "ikr" has been used widely, so don't be afraid to use it. If you afraid to offend anyone, substitute it to different word(s), like "yeah", "yep", etc. @ArwenUndómiel – Vylix Jan 2 '18 at 9:14
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This may well be a matter of context. For general conversation, politeness may well call for you to just acknowledge the information you have been given, as there is "no loss" in acknowledging their knowledge. In such a case an "I see," or "OK" may well suffice.

If it is a matter of importance or a deeper conversation which is en route to be expounded on further, it might then be useful to say that you were already aware of this or that point in order to establish a starting line. This allows the discussion to progress into "new" areas. Here a "I know" and perhaps some embellishment or clarification can be appropriate.

Another "context" however when a person is trying to suggest your ignorance by explaining the obvious. In such a case the temptation is to react in kind with a sarcastic, or confrontational "I know." Here if confrontation is not in your interest, or your desire, then the politeness point again comes into play, with the self-understanding that in stepping away from a perceived insult you are being "the bigger person." So again the "I see" or "OK" works.

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