but not however

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "but not however" is not correct and does not work well in written English.
It is redundant because "but" and "however" serve similar purposes in contrasting ideas. Example: "I wanted to go for a walk, but not however in the rain."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

13 human-written examples

But not, however, before Burgess had filed his copy.

The Guardian

But not, however, before several people had already cottoned on.

Independent

Soon, Joyce was living the lush life, but not, however, with poor, long-suffering Sylvia.

The New Yorker

But not, however, trained on either the catwalk collection or the designer duo responsible.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

But not, however, to the exclusion of other staples of the memo tradition, such as "silos", "analysis paralysis", "dropped balls", and so forth.

The Economist

(That is absolutely as soon as you can, but not, however, sooner).

Forbes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

47 human-written examples

The model requires knowledge of the reaction kinetics and the flow field, but does not, however, contain any arbitrary parameters.

Chemical Engineering Science

Apparently contradictory behavior is the result of variations in the state of the PTFE in such structures but does not, however, require a different model.

Electrochimica Acta

Dr Andrew Dearden, the BMA's treasurer, said that the organisation "vigorously fights to defend the values of the NHS" but "does not however oppose all private medicine".

Independent

The progression of High-Ti lava groups preserved on either side of the developing rift zone is very similar, but is not, however, chronostratigraphic due to multiple inter-digitations of the chemical types.

Lithos

These are among the oldest surface exposure dates yet measured on Earth, but are not however consistent with the 40Ar/39Ar chronology used to define the age of the landscape due to unconstrained levels of erosion.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "but not however" in formal writing. Choose a more concise alternative like "but not" or "however not" to maintain clarity and grammatical correctness.

Common error

Avoid using redundant conjunctions such as "but not however". "But" and "however" both serve to introduce a contrast, so using them together creates unnecessary repetition. Choose one or the other.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "but not however" is a conjunctional phrase attempting to express contrast or exception. However, it's grammatically redundant. According to Ludwig AI, the combination of "but" and "however" is unnecessary, as both serve a similar function.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

3%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "but not however" is grammatically incorrect due to redundancy, as highlighted by Ludwig AI. Although it appears in various sources, including news and scientific articles, it's generally best to avoid it in formal writing. Instead, opt for more concise alternatives like "but not" or rearrange the sentence. While the intended purpose is to introduce contrast, the redundant nature of the phrase weakens its impact and detracts from clarity. For polished and professional writing, choose grammatically sound and concise expressions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

but not

Omits "however", offering a more concise contrast.

but rather

Replaces "not however" with "rather", presenting an alternative.

yet not

Substitutes "but" with "yet", maintaining the contrast.

however not

Reorders the phrase for a slightly different emphasis.

though not

Similar to "although not", but slightly less formal.

although not

Replaces "but" with "although", creating a subordinate clause.

but still not

Adds "still" for emphasis, indicating a continued absence.

but definitely not

Emphasizes the negation with "definitely".

but certainly not

Like "definitely not", this stresses the certainty of the negation.

notwithstanding

Replaces the entire "but not however" with a single word, more formal.

FAQs

Why is "but not however" considered grammatically incorrect?

The phrase "but not however" is considered redundant because "but" and "however" both function as conjunctions that introduce a contrast. Using them together is unnecessary and impacts the clarity of the sentence.

What are some simpler alternatives to "but not however"?

You can use alternatives such as "but not" or rearrange the sentence to use "however not". Other options include "yet not" or "although not" depending on the context.

In what context might I encounter the phrase "but not however"?

While grammatically incorrect, you might encounter "but not however" in informal speech or less carefully edited writing. It's best to avoid using it in formal contexts.

How does using "but not however" affect the tone of my writing?

Using "but not however" can make your writing sound less polished and professional due to its redundancy and grammatical incorrectness. Opt for more concise and grammatically sound alternatives.