Between is about separate, named people, things or points; among is about a whole group in which no one is singled out. Between the bank and the café, between two options. Among friends, among young people.
among or between — can you pick the right one?
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between + A and B; between + plural noun; among + group/plural noun; among the + best/most + noun
- The ferry runs twice a day between the island and the mainland.
- She was the only vegetarian among the guests at the wedding.
- This course is among the most popular options for first-year students.
What changed
First versionThe film is very popular between teenagers.
RevisionThe film is very popular among teenagers.
Here teenagers are seen as one whole group, and nobody in it is singled out. Being popular within a group is expressed with among. Between would be needed for something that links separate participants, so the correction uses among.
The rule “between for two, among for three or more” is not accurate. If there are several participants but each one is named, you still need between: The talks between Spain, France and Italy lasted two days. Choose among when the group is seen as a whole.
Your turn
Our office is ___ the bank and the post office, so it's easy to find.
Show the answer
between — Two separate places are named, the bank and the post office, and the office stands between them. A pair joined by and needs between. Among would mean somewhere within a whole group of buildings, not a spot between two points.
Write about a choice you made recently. Use between with two options and among with a group of people.
I was choosing between a laptop and a tablet, and the laptop was more popular among my colleagues.
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