Expresses the speaker's strong conviction that something must certainly be the case, based on reasoning or evidence. It is a formal, written equivalent of に違いない. Because it is stiff, it appears mainly in documents, legal or literary writing, and formal statements rather than conversation.
[Noun / な-adj stem / Plain form] + に相違ない
この筆跡から見て、犯人は彼に相違ない。
Kono hisseki kara mite, hannin wa kare ni soui nai.
Judging from this handwriting, the culprit must certainly be him.
Noun 彼 + に相違ない expresses firm conviction based on evidence
この事故は彼の不注意が原因に相違ない。
Kono jiko wa kare no fuchuui ga gen'in ni soui nai.
There is no doubt that his carelessness was the cause of this accident.
Noun 原因 + に相違ない asserts firm conviction about the cause
彼女が優秀な人物であることは事実に相違ない。
Kanojo ga yuushuu na jinbutsu de aru koto wa jijitsu ni soui nai.
That she is an excellent person is doubtless a fact.
Noun 事実 + に相違ない asserts certainty in a formal register
• Register: very formal and written; use に違いない in normal conversation. • Expresses subjective certainty, not objective proof — 'I am sure that…'. • Frequently found in legal, journalistic, and literary texts.
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones に相違ない is tested against.
に違いない carries the same 'must be' certainty but is used in everyday speech; に相違ない is its stiff, formal-writing counterpart.
はずだ expresses logical expectation ('it should be, based on facts'), while に相違ない expresses the speaker's strong personal conviction.
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