compare about

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "compare about" is not correct and usable in written English.
You may use the more common phrase "compare to" or "compare with" instead. Example: I compared the two pieces of writing to each other to see how they differed.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

Inserting a few key questions into a large national stroke study, his team was able to compare about 3,500 family caregivers older than 45 with noncaregivers of the same age, gender, education level and self-reported health.

The New York Times

Altogether, the researchers were able to read and compare about 90% of the genomes of their two types of cell.Their first discovery was that the stem cells were more methylated than the lung cells 5.8% of cytosines, compared with 4.3%.

The Economist

For example, Shah claims that SHOP exchanges only compare about 10 to 15percentt of available health plans in a market, while SimplyInsured offers all of them.

TechCrunch

This work uses a unified formulation to compare about 40 theories for multilayered, composites and sandwich plates which are loaded by transverse pressure with various in-plane distributions (harmonic, constant, triangular and tent-like).

Composite Structures

Time and energy to compare about 160 million human and mouse DNA base pairs: 1 typical x86 processor 12.5 years1 (11,000 kilowatt-hours1) 150 typical x86 processors 6 weeks (15,000 kilowatt-hours) 150 FPGAs 1 day (450 kilowatt-hours).

Forbes

To compare, about half of U.S. tech companies employ women in such spots.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

45 human-written examples

They compared about 300 parents and spinoffs with companies in similar industries.

Forbes

Therefore, if the pose decision tree in Figure 11 is used, 64 poses are compared about 5.1 times on average.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

It has been compared about the mutations detected by the screening approaches.

BMC Genomics

Last week, there were about 400 insurgent attacks compared with about 50 per week in 2004.

The New York Times

American funds devoted to reconstruction have come to about $45 billion, compared to about $40 billion from Iraq.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When comparing two or more subjects, always specify the criteria or aspects you are using for the comparison to provide context and clarity.

Common error

A common mistake is using the wrong preposition after "compare". Remember to use "compare to" when pointing out similarities between different things, and "compare with" when examining both similarities and differences.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "compare about" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. Ludwig AI indicates that "compare to" or "compare with" are the preferred alternatives. The examples provided by Ludwig, even though matching the search query, often include instances where "compared" is followed by "with" or "to".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "compare about" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. As Ludwig AI suggests, it's best to use "compare to" or "compare with" instead. While some instances of "compare about" appear in various sources, including news and scientific publications, this likely reflects editorial errors rather than accepted usage. The intended purpose is usually to express comparison, but the non-standard grammar undermines effective communication. Therefore, avoid using "compare about" in formal writing and opt for grammatically correct alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

compare with

Uses the correct preposition "with" after "compare", ensuring grammatical accuracy.

compare to

Uses the correct preposition "to" after "compare", ensuring grammatical accuracy.

draw comparisons regarding

Uses the phrase "draw comparisons" instead of the single word "compare", which is more grammatically correct and formal.

make a comparison regarding

Replaces "compare" with "make a comparison" and substitutes "about" with "regarding", offering a more formal alternative.

draw a parallel concerning

Changes the action to "draw a parallel" and uses "concerning" instead of "about", shifting the focus to similarities.

compare in relation to

Employs "in relation to" instead of "about", providing a more precise specification of the comparison's scope.

compare approximately

Replaces "about" with "approximately", but still suffers from the same grammatical issue when used with "compare".

compare concerning

Substitutes "about" with "concerning", maintaining a similar topic focus but needing a clearer connection.

contrast with respect to

Uses "contrast" instead of "compare" and "with respect to" for "about", emphasizing differences rather than similarities.

analyze in terms of

Replaces "compare" with "analyze" and uses "in terms of" for "about", suggesting a deeper examination.

FAQs

Is it grammatically correct to say "compare about"?

No, the phrase "compare about" is not grammatically correct in standard English. The correct usage is "compare to" or "compare with", depending on the context.

What prepositions should I use with "compare"?

Use "compare to" when illustrating similarities between different things and use "compare with" when examining both similarities and differences. For instance, you can "compare apples to oranges" to highlight their similarities in being fruits, or "compare apples with oranges" to analyze their nutritional differences.

What can I say instead of "compare about"?

Since "compare about" isn't standard, try alternatives like "compare with" or "contrast with respect to" for clearer communication.

How does the meaning change when I use "compare to" versus "compare with"?

"Compare to" suggests highlighting similarities, whereas "compare with" implies a more detailed analysis looking at both similarities and differences. Therefore, choose the preposition that best matches your intended meaning. For instance, "compare this poem to Shakespeare's sonnets" (to show common themes), and "compare this poem with Shakespeare's sonnets" (to analyze style, themes, and structure).