consistency sake

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "consistency sake" is not correct in English; it should be "for consistency's sake." You can use it when you want to emphasize the importance of maintaining uniformity or coherence in a particular context.
Example: "We decided to use the same format for all reports for consistency's sake."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

For instance, you may always refer to your company's wristwatches as "watches" and never "timepieces," for consistency sake.

Forbes

For consistency sake, it would have been better to select one or the other, or include both stains in each experiment.

F1000Research

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Would Liam Fox even try again for consistency's sake after failing in the last two contests?

The Guardian

"One GM said it came up in the meeting that, if the NHL goes this route, maybe only one or two people are allowed to make this type of ruling for consistency's sake," Friedman wrote.

The Guardian - Sport

While City Room has no more authority to decide a hawk's name than anyone else, we do need to figure out what we will call her in our coverage for consistency's sake.

The New York Times

Mr. Obama uses $250,000 as shorthand for the higher-income taxpayers the increases are aimed at — perhaps for consistency's sake, and perhaps because $250,000 is a nice round number.

The New York Times

As Shop Street runs into William Street, pause to sit on the bench built into a statue of Oscar Wilde and his Baltic contemporary Eduard Vilde (spelled Wilde on the statue, for consistency's sake), a gift from the Estonian city Tartu.

The New York Times - Travel

For consistency's sake, sitting on the balcony of the Enchantment Resort contemplating the red canyon wall all aglow at sunset and feeling pretty darn proud of ourselves, we caught a powerful and persistent whiff of hotel septic, too, but by then we were acclimated.

The New York Times - Travel

BOOK STOP As Shop Street runs into William Street, pause to sit on the bench built into a statue of Oscar Wilde and his Baltic contemporary Eduard Vilde (spelled Wilde on the statue, for consistency's sake), a gift from the Estonian city Tartu.

The New York Times - Travel

For consistency's sake, in some cases we have linked to the organisation's partner newspapers where the cables have also been published.

BBC

For consistency's sake, we rounded 3.95 seconds to 4.0 seconds, and subtracted one-tenth, to come up with a conservative estimate of 3.9 seconds zero-to-60 mph.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct grammatical form: "for consistency's sake" or "for the sake of consistency".

Common error

Don't omit the possessive or the preposition. "Consistency sake" is not standard English. Use "for consistency's sake" or "for the sake of consistency" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "consistency sake" is intended to function as an adverbial phrase, indicating the reason or purpose behind an action. However, it is grammatically incorrect. Ludwig shows that correct alternatives include phrases like "for the sake of consistency".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "consistency sake" is an incorrect form. The proper expressions are "for consistency's sake" or "for the sake of consistency". As Ludwig AI explains, the correct phrases are used to emphasize the importance of uniformity. While examples of the incorrect form exist, particularly in news and scientific contexts, it's essential to use the grammatically correct alternatives to maintain clarity and credibility in writing. Remember that phrases like "to ensure consistency" or "in the interest of consistency" can also serve similar purposes.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

for the sake of consistency

This alternative uses a prepositional phrase to express the reason for maintaining consistency.

to ensure consistency

This is a concise infinitive phrase focusing on the act of ensuring uniformity.

in the interest of consistency

This alternative highlights that maintaining consistency is beneficial or advantageous.

to maintain uniformity

This phrase focuses on maintaining a state of sameness.

for uniformity's sake

This uses a similar structure to the original query, but with the correct grammatical form.

with the goal of consistency

This alternative emphasizes the intention behind ensuring consistency.

to promote coherence

This phrase emphasizes the logical and orderly connection of elements.

to standardize the process

This alternative focuses on establishing a uniform method or procedure.

for the purpose of standardization

Highlights the objective of achieving standardization.

in order to achieve alignment

Focuses on the harmonization and agreement among different elements.

FAQs

How can I properly use the phrase about consistency?

The correct ways to express the idea are "for consistency's sake" or "for the sake of consistency". For example, "We standardized the reporting format "for consistency's sake"".

What does "for consistency's sake" mean?

It means doing something to ensure uniformity or coherence. It is often used when making a choice between options, where one option promotes a standard approach. For example: "For the sake of consistency, we will use the same software across all departments".

Is "consistency sake" grammatically correct?

No, "consistency sake" is grammatically incorrect. The proper forms are "for consistency's sake" or "for the sake of consistency".

Are there alternatives to "for consistency's sake"?

Yes, you can use phrases like "to ensure consistency", "in the interest of consistency", or "to maintain uniformity". The best choice depends on the specific context. In certain cases, "for uniformity's sake" could be employed to emphasize sameness.