Between vs Among

Grammar chart explaining the difference between 'between' and 'among,' including definitions, examples for each, and their specific uses

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Use between to talk about something that is in the middle of two or more individual entities.

Alice is standing between John and Silvia.
They built the monument between the lake, the temple and the tree.

Use among to talk about something that is in the middle of a group or mass of something.

Alice is standing among a group of children.
They built the monument among the trees.

Between

We can also use between in the following ways:

To talk about time:

The help desk is open between noon and 10 p.m. each day.

To compare two different objects, people, or places:

There is a noticeable difference between the two products.
The similarity between the two paintings is remarkable.

To refer to an agreement, transaction, etc., that involves two people or parties.

The agreement between the two parties came after hours of difficult negotiation.

To talk about a choice in which there are two options

I had difficulty choosing between the chocolate and the vanilla.

Among

Among can also be used in the following ways:

When referring to the relationships of three or more people or parties

There was an agreement among the committee members.

To indicate the distribution, division or sharing of something within a group

The sweets were distributed among the children.
They divided the profits among the investors.

To mean ‘one of’ or ‘included in’

Sara is among our most promising students.
Among those present at the meeting was the former CEO of the company.

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Explanation

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