Between or Among: What’s the Difference?

Have you ever wondered how to correctly use between or among in a sentence? On the surface, they appear to mean the same thing, but, when you dive a little deeper, they have different uses. In this blog post, we look at:

• The definitions of between and among
• Some examples of how the two words are used in sentences

Keep reading to learn more!

What Does Between Mean?

Between is a preposition used to describe two or more things that are separate and distinct from each other. It is commonly used:

1. In the space that separates two items (I stood between my parents.)
2. In the time that separates two events (I have time between my classes to meet.)
3. To indicate the beginning and ending of a range (Choose a number between 1 and 10.)
4. To show that something is being shared (Stuart and Matthew shared the pizza between them.)
5. To indicate that two or more things are connected (The passage between the hall and the kitchen was dark.)

You may have heard people say that you should only use between when discussing two objects (and among when talking about more than two objects), but that’s not strictly true. You can use between when referring to any number of items, as long as the items are clearly distinct from each other.

How to Use Between in a Sentence

As you may have noticed in the examples above, the word between always comes before the words it is describing and is usually followed by two or more singular nouns.

She walked between the cars.

The coffee shop is between the museum and the library.

In some instances, you can use between at the start of the sentence, usually when you want to emphasize something.

Between the two of us, I think they’re lying.

Here, we are emphasizing that the following clause should remain a secret.

What Does Among Mean?

Among is also a preposition. It has a similar meaning to between, but it is used when we are talking about people or things that are not distinct and can be viewed as a group. For example:

He sat among his classmates.

It can also mean that an item is located more or less centrally in relation to several other items. For example:

I set the cat among the pigeons.

How to Use Among in a Sentence

Like between, among usually comes before the object it describes and is usually followed by a plural noun.

She was a friend among foes.

I lost him among the crowd.

You can use among at the start of a sentence too, but this is less common because it sounds awkward. It’s usually best avoided!

Among all the cities in Europe, Rome is my favorite.

Summary: Between or Among?

So, is it between or among?

	When To Use	How To Use
Between	Discussing people or things that are distinct from each other	Can use at the start of a sentence
Among	Discussing groups of people or things that are not distinct from each other	Can use at the start of a sentence but sounds awkward and is usually best avoided

If you are ever in doubt, there are many online dictionaries that will help you clear up any confusion.

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