Among vs Amongst
Among and Amongst… are they the same word or not? Yes, they are. Both mean “in the midst of” or “surrounded by.” Although the words are interchangeable, the word among is more common, especially in American English. The word amongst is mainly used in British English.
Here is the definition and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.
Among (preposition)
In the midst of, surrounded by.
Examples:
I am the only one among my group of friends that doesn’t know how to drive.
Research shows that walking among trees in the forest relieves stress.
In the examples above, the word among describes being surrounded by something. In the first sentence, it’s surrounded by people (the whole group of friends), while in the second sentence, it’s surrounded by things (trees in a forest).
Amongst (preposition)
Among
Examples:
Ok, class: does social media help or hurt interpersonal connection? Discuss amongst yourselves.
We found ourselves in a medieval town, walking amongst the ruins.
In both examples above, you could change out the word amongst for among, and the meaning would stay the same. Again, you can see that it can be surrounded by people (“discuss amongst yourselves”) or things (ruins).
Main Points
- Among and Amongst mean the same thing. They are interchangeable.
- Among is more commonly used in general, but especially in American English.
- Amongst is primarily used in British English.