Have in common means to share something. People say it about friends with similar interests and habits, and about things with shared features. How much is shared goes before in common: a lot, something, nothing, little.
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have + a lot/something/nothing/little + in common (with + person); what do you have in common?
- My new flatmate and I have a lot in common: we both love hiking and hate early mornings.
- Spanish and Italian have so much in common that I can often guess the meaning of words.
- The two job offers have one thing in common — neither of them allows remote work.
What changed
First versionWe met last year, and we have a lot of common.
RevisionWe met last year, and we have a lot in common.
A lot of common can look logical, as if common were something you could have a lot of. But common is an adjective, not a noun, so it can't follow a lot of. The fixed phrase is in common: a lot in common.
Friends you share are mutual friends, not common friends: We met through mutual friends. On its own, common usually means widespread or ordinary: a common mistake.
Your turn
Tom and I grew up in different countries, but we have a lot ___: the same music, the same jokes.
Show the answer
in common — Right after have a lot comes the phrase in common, and the colon lists what Tom and the speaker share. Native speakers don't say of common: that combination doesn't exist in English.
Describe a friend or colleague. Name the person and two things you have in common.
My colleague Mark and I have a lot in common: we both run every morning and read science fiction.
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