Between vs. Among

How to use "between" and "among" correctly

This is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.

According to the conventions of standard English, the preposition between should be used when discussing two things:

walk between the two statues

When discussing three or more things, use the preposition among:

walk among the many statues

Note that this rule is often disregarded by native speakers in many contexts; especially in informal English, between is often used instead of among.

Related Resources

Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English

List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list

Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage

List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version

© 2006, 2008, and 2019 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.