a common illusion

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a common illusion" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a widely held but false belief or perception. Example: "Many people believe that success comes easily, but this is a common illusion that can lead to disappointment."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

He seemed to touch on a common illusion: that putting a gun in one's hand brings clarity.

The New Yorker

Then, in what is a common illusion, the hand can appear to have stopped, momentarily, before it moves again.

The New York Times - Science

It's a common illusion, however — what Mike Konczal, a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, recently described as "the voluntarism fantasy".

Los Angeles Times

ThinkCreeps apparently shares a common illusion in evolutionary thinking that natural selection is all we need in the way of basic principles to understand the evolutionary process.

Huffington Post

It's a common illusion, however — what Mike Konczal, a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, recently described as "the voluntarism fantasy". The idea that community or faith-based charities were more efficient, effective and capable than the government of addressing economic stringency hasn't been true since the industrial revolution transformed the U.S. from an agrarian to an urban nation.

Los Angeles Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Accordingly, in order to avoid suggesting any specific conscious content, for the first experiment we included a common vertical horizontal illusion in our instructions, both to illustrate what an illusion is and to distinguish illusion from inference or judgment.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

What I mean is that Sibelius has sped up the music so much that time slows down (a sort of musical version of a common optical illusion, when spinning objects seem to slow down the faster they revolve) so that the hectic crotchets of the symphony's last scherzoid music become the undulating accompanying bed of sound for the trombone's theme.

The Guardian - Music

As noted, a common vertical horizontal illusion was used to illustrate the distinction before participants took part in the experiment.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

Contraction bias in delayed comparison tasks is a common cognitive illusion observed in many different modalities and under different experimental conditions [1] [8].

Plosone

In support of this position we have previously shown that perceptual VSE judgements and eye movements share common attentional resources [54], and that pointing movements and perceptual extrapolation judgements are susceptible to a common geometric illusion [27], [75].

Plosone

However, on its own, it is unable to account for the common illusions of temporal perception described above, and support for a direct neural implementation of this model is diminishing.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a common illusion", ensure that the context clearly identifies the illusion and explains why it is misleading or untrue. Provide evidence or reasoning to support your claim.

Common error

Avoid assuming that something is "a common illusion" without adequate evidence. Ensure that the supposed illusion is genuinely widespread and not simply a personal opinion or isolated case.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a common illusion" functions primarily as a noun phrase, acting as a subject complement or object in a sentence. As Ludwig AI points out, it denotes a widely held, yet ultimately false, belief or perception. This is reflected in the Ludwig examples, where the phrase describes various societal and psychological phenomena.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Formal & Business

10%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a common illusion" is a noun phrase used to describe a widely held but ultimately false belief or perception. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct and its usage spans across multiple domains, including news, science, and academia. While not exceptionally frequent, its presence in authoritative sources like the New York Times and The New Yorker lends it credibility. When employing the phrase, ensure that you provide context to explain the illusion and why it is misleading. Alternatives such as "a widespread misconception" or "a popular fallacy" can offer nuanced variations, as illustrated in the related phrases. Be mindful of not overstating the prevalence of the illusion without proper evidence.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a widespread misconception

Replaces "illusion" with "misconception", emphasizing a false or inaccurate belief held by many.

a shared delusion

Substitutes "illusion" with "delusion", highlighting a more extreme form of false belief that is collectively held.

a popular fallacy

Replaces "illusion" with "fallacy", focusing on a flawed or deceptive argument that is widely accepted.

a prevalent myth

Substitutes "illusion" with "myth", suggesting a widely believed but untrue story or idea.

a collective fantasy

Replaces "illusion" with "fantasy", emphasizing a shared imaginative creation or wishful thinking that is not based on reality.

a general deception

Substitutes "illusion" with "deception", highlighting the act of misleading or deceiving a large number of people.

a typical misbelief

Replaces "illusion" with "misbelief", focusing on an incorrect or misguided belief that is common among people.

a universal misconception

Replaces "common" with "universal", emphasizing that this illusion is worldwide or very widespread.

a familiar mirage

Substitutes "illusion" with "mirage", suggesting something that appears real but is not, highlighting its deceptive nature.

a conventional untruth

Replaces "illusion" with "untruth", focusing on the false nature of the concept.

FAQs

What does "a common illusion" mean?

The phrase "a common illusion" refers to a widely held belief or perception that is, in fact, false or misleading. It suggests that many people are under the same mistaken impression.

How can I use "a common illusion" in a sentence?

You can use "a common illusion" to describe situations where a false belief is prevalent. For instance, "It's "a common illusion" that hard work always leads to success; luck also plays a significant role."

What are some alternatives to "a common illusion"?

You can use alternatives like "a widespread misconception", "a popular fallacy", or "a shared delusion" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is there a difference between "a common illusion" and "a common misconception"?

While both phrases refer to false beliefs, "a common illusion" often implies a sensory or perceptual distortion, while "a common misconception" refers to a misunderstanding or incorrect understanding of facts or concepts. However, in many contexts, they are used interchangeably.