The top 20 expressions of gratitude

16:38 24 August 2010

New research has suggested that Brits are now uncomfortable saying "thank you" when showing gratitude.

In its place as the most popular way of verbally communicating thanks is the informal word "cheers".

40% of those polled said they believe saying "thank you" and would rather choose to display praise via colloquial adjectives such as "fab", "lovely" or "wicked".

A third revealed that they would often just resort to a quick wave instead of saying anything.

Caroline Weaver from the gift company Me to You, which conducted the poll of 3,000 people, said: "While the Great British public might feel uncomfortable saying thank you these days, they do like to show their gratitude in other ways.

"Respondents felt it didn't matter how you thanked someone for their kind actions, as long as you did so in a friendly and polite way.

"At the end of the day everyone knows that a big smile and some form of acknowledgement is all it takes to show we are grateful."

Interestingly, even foreign words such as "merci" and "gracias" have become more popular than the traditional English form of expression.

The study also found that two thirds of people described Britain as a "rude" nation and 84% think people should make more of an effort to show appreciation.

The top 20 verbal ways of expressing gratitude:

1. Cheers

2. Ta

3. That's great

4. Cool

5. OK

6. Brilliant

7. Lovely

8. Nice one

9. Much appreciated

10. You star 11. All right

12. Fab

13. Awesome

14. Wicked

15. Merci

16. Danke

17. Gracias

18. Super

19. Ace

20. Thank you