Different from means not the same as someone or something. Different from is correct in both British and American English, so it is the safest choice in an exam. Different to is used in British English, and different than in American English.
Want to remember different from?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
different from + noun/-ing; different to (UK); different than (US)
- Working from home is very different from working in a busy office.
- The city was different from what I had expected: much greener and quieter.
- British spelling is slightly different from American spelling: colour, not color.
What changed
First versionMy opinion is differ from yours.
RevisionMy opinion is different from yours.
Differ is a verb and different is an adjective. You can say My opinion differs from yours or My opinion is different from yours. The mistake is differ mixes the two patterns; in the corrected sentence, the verb was replaced with the adjective.
The noun difference takes other prepositions. For a difference between two things, use between: the difference between tea and coffee. For a difference in some feature, use in: a big difference in price.
Your turn
Her accent is quite different ___ mine because she grew up in Scotland.
Show the answer
from — Different takes from, and also to in British English or than in American English. It does not combine with of, so the answer is from.
Compare how you learnt English at school and how you learn it now. Name one difference with a specific detail.
Learning English now is different from learning it at school because I choose topics I need, like writing emails for work.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.