but not than

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "but not than" is not correct in English and does not convey a clear meaning.
It seems to be a fragment that may be intended to compare or contrast something, but it lacks the necessary context or structure to be usable. Example: "I prefer apples but not than oranges." (This is incorrect and unclear.)

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Wiki

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

For tasks of intermediate difficulty, dynamic visualizations led to better classification performance than static-sequential visualizations, but not than static-simultaneous visualizations.

Learning and Instruction

The "habitual snorers" had higher prevalence of restless legs syndrome than "gestational snorers" (p = 0.029) but not than "non snorers" in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

In addition, the monocot-specific CslF has evolved significantly more rapidly than CslC and CesA, but not than CslA and CslD (Table 4d).

BMC Plant Biology

Serum concentrations of PDGF-BB were also significantly higher in the IPF patients than in the sarcoid patients but not than in the controls.

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

PDGF-BB concentrations were also significantly higher in serum of IPF patients than in sarcoid patients, but not than in the controls.

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Bonferroni post-hoc analyses showed that, overall, adults had significantly lower thresholds than 5 6-year-olds (p =  .005 6-year-oldshan either 7–8-year-olds (p =  1) or 10–11-year-olds (p =  1).

Developmental Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

Age at menarche was classified as not older than 11 years, older than 11 but not older than 13 years, older than 13 but not older than 14 years, and older than 14 years.

Breast Cancer Research

The impedance of the polished coated samples is larger than bare lead, but not larger than corroded lead.

Heritage Science

Stage IIb: tumor is larger than 2 cm but not greater than 5 cm.

BioMed Research International

During manatee-motor boat interactions, recordings were longer (usually more than 5 min, but not more than 8 min).

Biology Open

14 15 Symptoms had to have persisted for longer than 2 months but not longer than 2 years.

British Medical Journal

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "but not than" in your writing. Instead, opt for grammatically correct alternatives like "but not more than" or "but less than" to ensure clarity and accuracy.

Common error

A frequent mistake is to use "than" incorrectly after "not" when making comparisons. Always ensure that the comparison is grammatically complete and clear. For instance, say "but not more than" instead of "but not than".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "but not than" is used as a conjunction to introduce a contrasting element in a comparison, though grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI indicates this phrase does not follow standard English grammar, leading to unclear communication. The intended function is comparison, but it's not achieved effectively.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

20%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "but not than" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in formal writing. Although Ludwig's examples show some occurrences in diverse contexts like Science, News & Media and Academia, it's deemed incorrect by Ludwig AI. More appropriate alternatives include "but not more than" or "but less than". Employing these alternatives ensures clarity and correctness in expressing comparisons and contrasts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

but not more than

Indicates a maximum limit or degree that something does not exceed.

but not greater than

Similar to "but not more than", emphasizing the numerical or quantitative aspect.

but less than

Offers a direct comparison indicating a smaller quantity or degree.

but not as much as

Replaces the grammatically incorrect "than" with "as much as" to clarify the comparison.

but not as high as

Specifically compares vertical measurements or abstract levels.

but less so than

Adds emphasis on the degree of difference in comparison.

but not to the same extent as

Expresses a difference in degree or scope of comparison.

but not exceeding

Specifies an upper limit or threshold that is not surpassed.

but not quite as

Indicates a slight difference in comparison, implying near equivalence.

but not up to the level of

Emphasizes the achievement of a certain standard or threshold.

FAQs

What's the correct way to express a limit using 'but not'?

Instead of the ungrammatical "but not than", use phrases like "but not more than" or "but not exceeding" to clearly indicate an upper limit.

What are some alternatives to "but not than" for comparisons?

For making comparisons, replace "but not than" with "but less than", "but not as much as", or "but not to the same extent as" for accurate and clear communication.

Is "but not than" grammatically correct?

No, "but not than" is grammatically incorrect. It should be replaced with a proper comparative structure, such as "but not greater than" or "but not less than", depending on the intended meaning.

How can I clarify my comparisons to avoid using "but not than"?

To ensure clarity, use precise comparative phrases. Instead of "but not than", consider "but not as high as" for height comparisons or "but not up to the level of" for standard comparisons.