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The longer I work as a proofreader, the more grammar myths I see getting busted out of the water. One of the myths that I realized I was blindly following when I started out was when to use between vs. among.
The rule is not as strict as I had thought it was!
I explain the difference between them below. Stick around till the end of the blog post to test your knowledge with the mini quiz!
Table of Contents
What Is the Difference Between Between and Among?
Here’s the rule: Use between to indicate one-to-one relationships between two or more separate and distinct things. Use among to indicate nonspecific relationships.
Both between and among are prepositions. Among means in the midst of, surrounded by, or in association with. Between means shared by or in the time or space separating things.
Examples:
For your dinner, you can choose between Bolognese and lasagna.
Even while among friends, she was still on her guard.
Let’s get the myth out of the way. Many people believe that you should only use between with two items and among with more than two items.
However, you can use between when there are more than two items. According to The Chicago Manual of Style, between can be used for “more than two objects if multiple one-to-one relationships are understood from the context.”
Example: Relations between members of the committee were surprisingly cordial.
Between and Among Examples
Examples of between in a sentence:
Between you and me, I thought she was being a little rude.
The teenage girls spent hours deciding between the blue dress, the silver dress, and the red skirt.
She parked her car between the pillar and mailbox.
Examples of among in a sentence:
The sweets were divided evenly among the kids.
The animosity among government officials was growing by the day.
Among his possessions, the cops found the murder weapon.
Grammar Posts
Different From vs. Different Than
Using Between to Connect Times or Numbers
When using between to connect times or numbers, use the between…and construction rather than an en dash.
Examples:
Incorrect: There were between 50–100 people there.
Correct: There were between 50 and 100 people there.
AP Stylebook: Between or Among
The AP Stylebook says that “the maxim that between introduces two items and among introduces more than two covers most questions about how to use these words.”
It gives the following example to illustrate the point: The funds were divided among Ford, Carter and McCarthy.
Based on that example, it appears it doesn’t recommend using between for more than two separate and distinct items.
However, it also notes that “between is the correct word when expressing the relationships of three or more items considered one pair at a time.
Among vs. Amongst
So what is the difference between among and amongst? Among and amongst mean the same thing. Both words are prepositions that mean in the midst of, surrounded by, or in association with.
Amongst is more common in British English, whereas among is more common in American English.
In American English, amongst is often considered archaic and pretentious, so if your audience is mostly based in the US, it might be better to stick with among.
Betwixt vs. Between
Betwixt and between mean the same thing. Betwixt is more common in British English, particularly in speech. It’s often used together with between, i.e., betwixt and between, to mean neither one way nor the other.
Again, in American English, it’s seen as archaic and nonstandard, so it’s best to avoid using it if your audience is based in the US.
Punctuation Posts
How to Use an Ellipsis: Chicago vs. AP Style
En Dash vs. Em Dash: When and How to Use Them
How to Use an Apostrophe (and Mistakes You Need to Avoid)
How to Use Commas (and Mistakes to Avoid)
Colon vs. Semicolon: When and How to Use Them
How to Use Quotation Marks (and the Difference between Single Quotes vs. Double Quotes)
Among vs. Between Quiz
Choose the correct word in each sentence. You can find the answers at the bottom of this blog post.
- I don’t see any difference between/among Diet Coke and Coke Zero.
- They didn’t have two brain cells between/among them.
- The security guard hid between/among the mannequins.
- The treasure is buried between/among the bench, the willow tree, and the lake.
- She wanted to live between/among the animals to see how they interacted with each other.
Final Thoughts on Between vs. Among
I hope you have a better understanding of the difference between among and between now. Don’t forget that the grammar myth has been busted and you can use between to indicate a specific relationship between more than two things.
Get a Handle on Grammar
Worried that your grammar skills are holding you back from being a successful writer or proofreader? I felt the exact same way when I was first starting out! I started reading lots of grammar books and blogs and took a couple of courses to help me improve my skills. One of the courses I took was Grammar Lion. If you want to go right back to the beginning and learn the nitty-gritty of grammar rules in a fun, engaging way, then check out the course.
Commas tripping you up? Take this free comma course to refresh your knowledge.
Check out my review of Grammar Lion here.
Among vs. Between Quiz Answers
- I don’t see any difference between Diet Coke and Coke Zero.
- They didn’t have two brain cells between them.
- The security guard hid among the mannequins.
- The treasure is buried between the bench, the willow tree, and the lake.
- She wanted to live among the animals to see how they interacted with each other.
