Say it like this
- FYI, the client call moved to 3pm.
- Just FYI, I'm out tomorrow afternoon.
- Forwarding this FYI, no action needed.
Use it at work
Sharing news
- FYI, the deploy is done.
- Just FYI, the client approved the design.
Forwarding
- Forwarding FYI, no action needed.
- FYI below, in case it's useful.
Subject lines
- FYI: office closed Monday
- FYI: new expense tool
Don't say this
"For your" is already inside FYI. Don't repeat it.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| FYI | useful information, no action | everyone | sharing news |
| heads-up | a warning about something coming | everyone | upcoming changes |
| PFA | please find attached | mainly India | email attachments |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. You want to tell your team the office Wi-Fi will be down tomorrow. Which is best?
2. _______, I'll be offline from 2 to 3pm for a dentist appointment.
3. Which sentence uses FYI correctly?
4. Rewrite this to sound friendly, not annoyed: 'FYI, I already sent you that file.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"FYI, the client call moved to 3pm."
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More about FYI
Real examples(3)
- in Slack
"FYI the staging database will be down from 6 to 7pm for maintenance."
- in an email subject
"FYI: updated travel policy from January"
- forwarding an email
"FYI, below is the customer's feedback from yesterday's demo."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. FYI is fine almost everywhere, but "FYI" followed by a correction can sound passive-aggressive.
- ✕FYI, please fix this by tomorrow.✓Could you please fix this by tomorrow?
FYI means no action is needed. If you need something, ask directly.
- ✕FYI, I told you this last week.✓Just a reminder, we discussed this last week.
FYI plus a complaint sounds passive-aggressive. Use a softer phrase.
Other forms(2)
- for your information full form
"For your information, the office is closed on Friday."
- just FYI adverb use
"Just FYI, I'll be late."
Often used with(3)
- just FYI · softer, friendlier
- FYI only · no action needed
- forward FYI · share an email for awareness
Similar words(3)
- heads-up · information about something coming
- just so you know · spoken, friendly
- for reference · sharing a document to keep
Opposites(2)
- action required
- please action
Questions(4)
- What is the full form of FYI?
- FYI stands for "for your information".
- Does FYI mean I need to do something?
- Usually not. FYI means the information is useful to know, but no action is needed.
- Is FYI rude?
- Not on its own. It can sound rude when it comes with a complaint, like "FYI, I already told you that."
- What is the difference between FYI and heads-up?
- A heads-up warns about something coming soon. FYI is any useful information, past or future.
