Comments on: Unbeknown or Unbeknownst?

By: Sony Roy

Sony Roy — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:19:48 +0000

Thank you for your timely input.

By: Sony Roy

Sony Roy — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:19:03 +0000

Thank you for your timely comments. As I am preparing the most important motion in an unprecedented case, Your input was timely. I’ll take UNBEKNOWNST

By: Newtopian

Newtopian — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 04:48:37 +0000

I realize it’s been a while here but I would agree with Andy. Empirical evidence in text found on internet can hardly be transposed as factual rules.

The fact that the number of people choosing to use the adjective form of the word does not make the adverbial form erroneous. Furthermore how many of the text using the adjective form are in error and should in fact have used the adjective ?

By: andy

andy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:57:16 +0000

Pretty sure that both words are correct, even in American English. The difference is that “unbeknown” is an adjective and “unbeknownst” is an adverb, usually followed by “to.”

Unbeknownst to me, the spider had already laid its eggs in my scalp.

The spider, of a species unbeknown, was an unwelcome guest.

By: John Carlson

John Carlson — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:27:23 +0000

Can one use “unbeknownst” without the “to” that customarily follows, as in: For ten years, the waste flowed, untreated and unbeknonwst, directly to the river?

By: Casey

Casey — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:35:42 +0000

Thanks, Jonah! That’s what I’m here for…language is a very interesting topic to me and many others, and one of my goals with this blog is to turn my passion for this type of discussion into something that’s helpful to Googlers like yourself.

By: Jonah

Jonah — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:36:30 +0000

Heh.
Interesting… or maybe not.
Either way, it helped me choose which to use for an essay. =]