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Prepositions with privy

Privy to or privy of?

The adjective privy almost always takes to. Privy of is not standard in modern English.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows privy?

Use privy to when someone knows secret or private information. Do not use privy of in standard modern English.

Only a few people were privy to the negotiations.
She was privy to confidential emails.
Managers are privy to financial data.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
privy to + information

Knowing confidential details

Use privy to for secret knowledge.

He became privy to the plan.
2
privy to + discussion

Included in private communication

The phrase can refer to meetings or conversations.

I was not privy to their conversation.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
privy to
She was privy to the agreement.
Standard and idiomatic.
privy of
They were privy of the decision.
Nonstandard in current English.
aware of
He was aware of the changes.
Useful alternative without the sense of confidentiality.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using privy of

Modern English uses privy to.

✕ I am privy of the details. ✓ I am privy to the details.

Using privy for general knowledge

Privy usually implies confidential information.

✓ Only directors were privy to the report.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Only executives were privy ___ the merger talks.
2. Choose the standard sentence.
3. Privy usually suggests information is ___.

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Frequently asked questions

Is privy to formal?

Yes. It is more formal than know about.

Can privy be used without to?

Rarely. The fixed phrase is privy to.

What is a simpler alternative to privy to?

Aware of is a common simpler alternative.

packed-with-to-in-on, into "paid for" or "paid up"? painful for, to, in, at or of? "palatable to" or "palatable for"? "pale in" or "pale of"? "pandemic of" or "pandemic in"? "paramount to" or "paramount in"? paranoid about, of, in, with or over? partial to, of, in, towards or for? participating in, of, on, at or for? "particular about" or "particular to"? part-time at, in, for, as or with?

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