Between vs Among
Published January 17, 2023. Updated January 17, 2023.
When referring to spatial relationships, Between and Among are used as a way to express how many things are surrounding them. If something is in the middle of two things, use between. If it’s surrounded by more than that, use among.
Here is the definition and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.
Between (preposition)
In the space separating two things.
Examples:
I parked my tiny Smart car between two huge pick-up trucks.
The apartment has a window seat built between two bookcases.
In both examples above, something was put into a space separating two things. In the first sentence, the car went into the space separating two large pick-up trucks. In the second sentence, a window seat was in the space separating two bookcases.
Among (preposition)
In the midst of, surrounded by.
Examples:
The little boy got lost among the crowd of people at the zoo.
The calla lilies stood out among all the other flowers in the garden.
In the examples above, the word among describes being surrounded by more than two things. In the first sentence, a little boy finds himself surrounded by a lot of people. In the second sentence, calla lilies are surrounded by many other flowers.
Main Points
- Between means in the space separating two things.
- Among means surrounded by many things.
- The main difference of between and among is how many other things are around: If something is in the middle of two things, that’s between. If something is surrounded by many things, that’s