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Among or Amongst?
Should I write "among" or "amongst"?
"Among" and "amongst" are used interchangeably in the UK but not in the US. For example:- Man is an animal which, alone among the animals, refuses to be satisfied by the fulfilment of animal desires.
(British inventor Alexander Graham Bell)
- Truth springs from argument amongst friends.
(British philosopher David Hume)
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More about "Among" and "Amongst"
The prepositions "among" and "amongst" mean the same as each other. "Among" and "amongst" have the following meanings:(1) "Surrounded by" or "in the company of"
- I am among my friends.
- Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.
(American motivational speaker Les Brown)
- John is now among those who disagree with the CEO.
- Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
(American Poet W.H. Auden, 1907-1973)
- Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.
(American writer Jane Wagner)
(It is unusual, but not wrong, for an American writer to use "amongst.")
- She is among the bears.
- To put a cat among the pigeons. (This is a common idiom. It means "to cause a stir.")

"Among" Is Older than "Amongst"
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "among" first appeared in Old English (5th century to the late 11th century), while "amongst" appeared later in the Middle English period (mid-12th century to the mid 15th century)."Among" Is More Common than "Amongst"
"Among" is far more common than "amongst," even in British English. (Here is evidence from Google's Ngram viewer.)A Video Summary
Watch a video showing 10 big differences between British English and American English.- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
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