• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

NativeSpeakerOnline

Learn natural English online

  • LEARNING ENGLISH
    • Confusing words in English
    • English grammar
    • Typical mistakes in English
  • IELTS SPEAKING TIPS
  • IELTS SPEAKING MASTERCLASS
  • CONTACT
Do we say ‘different than’, ‘different from’ or ‘different to’?

Do we say ‘different than’, ‘different from’ or ‘different to’?

October 6, 2014 By Nestor Leave a Comment

Many learners of English (and native speakers!) want to know which expression is correct: different than, different from or different to. In this post, we will look at these confusing phrases.

different from

In practice, different from is most common among native speakers. It is used in both American and British English.

He is a lot different from his sister.

If you search for “different from” in Google, you will find over 170 million results.

different than

In American English, different than is often used instead of different from. However, some authors and grammar experts avoid using this expression as the word than is normally used in comparative structures (e.g. His new film is more interesting than his previous film). In comparative structures, we talk about the degree of difference between two things, not whether one thing is absolutely different.

However, there are some types of sentences in which you must use different than, for example where you are linking two sentences:

It is no different for me than it is for you.

If you search for “different than” in Google, you will find about 60 million results.

different to

In British English, different to is used more often than in American English:

He is a lot different to his sister.

If you search for “different to” in Google, you will find over 27 million results.

Filed Under: Confusing words in English

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Benefits of Learning Languages
  • Confusing words in English
  • English grammar
  • Language Learning Resources
  • Travel
  • Typical mistakes in English
Opt In Image
Speak Natural English
Essential Course to Help you Communicate Like a Native Speaker
Enroll Now

NativeSpeakerOnline on Facebook

  • Contact
  • Terms of use and privacy policy

Copyright © 2023 ยท NativeSpeakerOnline