"only respond to" vs "respond only to"

Question

"only respond to" vs "respond only to"

Both "only respond to" and "respond only to" are correct and commonly used in English. They have a similar meaning but may be used in slightly different contexts. The choice between them depends on the emphasis you want to give in the sentence.

Last Updated: April 03, 2024

This phrase is used to emphasize that the response should be limited to a specific group or type of communication. The word "only" emphasizes the restriction on who should respond.

Examples:

Please only respond to the email if you have the requested information.
The customer service team will only respond to urgent inquiries during the weekend.

Alternatives:

only reply to
only react to
only answer to
only acknowledge
only address

This phrase is also used to emphasize that the response should be limited to a specific group or type of communication. Placing "only" before "to" highlights the exclusivity of the response.

Examples:

The professor will respond only to questions related to the course material.
The manager will respond only to emails marked as urgent.

Alternatives:

reply only to
react only to
answer only to
acknowledge only
address only

Answer 1

only respond to

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

Answer 2

respond only to

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.