The difference between Due to and Thanks to

Question

is there a difference between using expressions "due to" and "thanks to"? Сan I use it interchangeably?

Answer 1

To my knowledge "thanks to" has always a positive connotation while "due to" is more neutral and can have a negative connotation.

Thanks to my good friend Ellen, I got to the airport on time

The game was delayed due to bad weather.

My desire to act was due to Laurence Olivier's performance in 'Hamlet'.

Answer 2

Since both mean as a result of you could use them interchangeably in most cases but due to sounds more serious and describes the cause of something maybe in a more neutral way. For example using thanks to in the sentence below wouldn't sound quite right.

his death was not due to any lack of care

Answer 3

In addition to the other answers provided, I would add that "due to" has a more impersonal tone. One generally would use "thanks to" for referring to people, e.g. "thanks to my boss I can afford food" vs. "due to my boss I can afford food".