contiguous months

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "contiguous months" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a sequence of months that are directly next to each other without any gaps in between. Example: "The project requires a commitment of three contiguous months to ensure its success."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

The concern has to be that rather than seeing the net adds growing-as they have for two years with only two contiguous months of decline-Android net adds have been falling for four months.

The Guardian - Tech

"The concern has to be that rather than seeing the net adds growing – as they have for two years with only two contiguous months of decline – Android net adds have been falling for four months," he wrote".

The New York Times

To make the club, a pool has to have water in it for two contiguous months between March and September; it has to have no permanent outflow of water (since fish could use that as an entryway); it has to have breeding activity; and, of course, it has to dry up eventually.

The New York Times

The probability that all 23 index cases would randomly occur in 5 contiguous months is (5 / 12) × 12 = 0.00000002.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Where data were missing for a month in a facility we substituted the average of the contiguous months (data were missing for 2.3% of facility-months).

Human Resources for Health

If the disease has lasted more than a total of 10 months (or more than 4 contiguous months) with an assumed unfavourable prognosis, the patient should apply for a temporary DP (for 1 2 years for all psychiatric patients).

BMC Health Services Research

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

50 human-written examples

Eurail (www.eurail.com) offers 16 dual-country passes valid for between 4 and 10 days of travel in contiguous countries over two months.

The New York Times

For this analysis, we calculated annual average concentrations during the year before the first CIMT measurement for participants for ≥ 9 months of contiguous daily black carbon data during that year.

Environmental Health Perspectives

Project staff allowed data to be collected from a recent 12-month period even if months were not completely contiguous, and prospective data was accepted.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

That 860,000-square-foot block consists of a 446,700-square-foot office formerly occupied by AT&T, on the market for 11 months, and a contiguous 413,000-square-foot office owned by Merrill Lynch, which consolidated in Princeton seven months ago.

The New York Times

Moreover we consider only participants that have at least 3 months of such contiguous data.

EPJ Data Science

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "contiguous months", ensure it accurately reflects a period where the months follow each other without any gaps. For example, “We need three "contiguous months" of data for accurate analysis.”

Common error

Avoid using "contiguous months" when you mean "within a few months" or "approximately a few months". "Contiguous" specifically means following one after the other without interruption.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "contiguous months" functions as an adjectival phrase modifying the noun "months". According to Ludwig, it describes a specific characteristic of the months, indicating they are sequential and unbroken in time.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "contiguous months" is a valid and usable phrase that describes a sequence of months following each other without interruption. According to Ludwig, it's grammatically correct and appears most frequently in scientific and news contexts, though it's acceptable in many registers. To avoid ambiguity, use "contiguous months" to explicitly indicate an unbroken series of months, rather than a general timeframe. While "consecutive months" is a strong alternative, "contiguous months" effectively communicates the intended meaning in various written contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Consecutive months

Emphasizes the sequential order of the months.

Successive months

Highlights that the months follow one another in a series.

Sequential months

Focuses on the order in which the months occur.

Adjoining months

Suggests the months are directly next to each other.

Uninterrupted months

Stresses the absence of any breaks in the sequence.

Continuous months

Implies an unbroken span of months.

Following months

Emphasizes the progression from one month to the next.

Running months

Suggests a continuous and ongoing period.

Back-to-back months

Informal way of saying the months are directly after each other.

Immediately preceding and following months

More descriptive, specifying the months' relative position.

FAQs

What does "contiguous months" mean?

"Contiguous months" refers to a series of months that follow each other in sequence, without any gaps or interruptions.

How do I use "contiguous months" in a sentence?

You can use "contiguous months" to describe a period of time where months follow each other directly. For example, "The study required participants to track their sleep for three "contiguous months".

What is a more formal alternative to "contiguous months"?

A more formal alternative is "consecutive months", which carries the same meaning but may sound more appropriate in academic or professional contexts.

Are "contiguous months" and "successive months" the same?

Yes, "contiguous months" and "successive months" are largely interchangeable and mean months that follow one another in order.