Congratulations

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "Congratulations" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to express joy or praise for someone's achievement or success. Example: "Congratulations on your promotion! You truly deserve it."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

So congratulations, Ralph.

The New York Times

Double congratulations to Arctic Monkeys, Disclosure and Basti-mental!" Despite the artist's reaping the rewards of the show's exposure however, this year's Brits pulled in its lowest audience for a live broadcast of the show with nearly 2 million fewer viewers than last year, with an average of 4.6 million people tuning in.

The Guardian - Music

Congratulations on your recent haul of gold medals!

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Congratulations to Amol Rajan for his historic appointment as the first ethnic minority editor of a national British newspaper.

The Guardian - Opinion

Congratulations to everyone involved in launching the 10 10 initiative, which looks set to become one of the biggest ever civil society campaigns between now and the Copenhagen climate change summit in December (Public figures and business sign up to climate drive, 1 September).

The Guardian

If anyone from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is reading this, congratulations on your Nobel peace prize win.

The Guardian

We don't tell them why we're calling... we're screening for uncommitted voters, and if they meet that qualification, and a few other qualifications, then we say, 'Congratulations, we're actually recruiting for the debate, then we're actually inviting you to be a participant.' And that's how it works.

The Guardian

Congratulations to Alicia and thanks again to all our contributors.

The Guardian - Sport

Congratulations to slackdad38, who held on to win last week's competition on a final score of +15.50 after a winnerless Friday.

The Guardian - Sport

Six years ago he sent me a letter for my birthday, saying, "Congratulations on your first 75 years" and it's still hanging in our front hall.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Congratulations to them, then, for making me hate Get Lucky even more than I already did!

The Guardian - Music

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "Congratulations" when you want to express sincere pleasure and approval for someone's achievement or good fortune. Tailor your expression to match the tone of the situation, whether formal or informal.

Common error

Avoid using "congratulation" in singular form as an interjection. "Congratulations" is the standard plural form used to express praise.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "Congratulations" is as an interjection. It expresses a speaker's pleasure and approval regarding someone's success or good fortune. Ludwig AI confirms this is the most common and accepted use.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "Congratulations" is a versatile and widely used interjection to express pleasure and approval for someone's achievements. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it is grammatically correct and highly common, particularly in News & Media. While appropriate for various contexts, avoid the singular form "congratulation" when using it as an interjection. Alternatives such as "well done" and "kudos" offer similar sentiments with slight variations in formality and nuance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Well done

A simpler and more direct expression of praise.

Kudos

An expression of approval or admiration, often for an achievement.

Good job

Informal way of expressing approval for an action.

Felicitations

A more formal and elaborate expression of congratulations.

Best wishes

Expressing hopes for someone's future success or happiness.

Good luck

Wishing someone success in a future endeavor.

Hats off

An expression of admiration and respect.

My compliments

A formal way of giving praise.

Praise be

Expressing thanksgiving or reverence for success.

You nailed it

An informal expression indicating success in achieving something.

FAQs

How do you use "Congratulations" in a sentence?

"Congratulations" is typically used as an interjection at the beginning of a sentence to express pleasure at someone's success. For example, "Congratulations on your new job!"

What can I say instead of "Congratulations"?

You can use alternatives like "well done", "kudos", or "good job" depending on the context.

Is it ever correct to say 'Congratulation' instead of "Congratulations"?

No, "congratulation" is rarely used as an interjection. The correct and commonly accepted form is "Congratulations".

What is the difference between "Congratulations" and "best wishes"?

"Congratulations" acknowledges a specific achievement or event, while "best wishes" expresses general good will for the future.