difficult to rank

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "difficult to rank" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing the challenges of evaluating or prioritizing items, such as in a competitive context or when assessing quality. Example: "The candidates for the award were all exceptionally talented, making it difficult to rank them."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

20 human-written examples

It is similarly difficult to rank Mr. Santorum against his Senate peers because of how opaque the process was.

The New York Times

Go to The Subway Issue There are so many sins of subway etiquette that it is difficult to rank the effrontery.

The New York Times

The absence of bestseller lists and library borrowing statistics, as well as the dispersal of the market over 22 countries, make it difficult to rank recent books according to popular or critical acclaim.

The Economist

However, due to different parameters, it is difficult to rank the approaches in a general case.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

It is difficult to rank treatments according to their effect size when several treatments are available and not all treatments have been compared directly.

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology

LOLA declines to share details related to the size and growth of its customer base or its revenue, so it's difficult to rank LOLA in terms of its competition.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

38 human-written examples

(2) It is a difficult task to rank patients with extended focal hypoperfusion as patients not having a diffuse heterogeneity.

EJNMMI Research

It is difficult, for example, to rank the public health risk of stronger hurricanes against the risk of cardiovascular complications from prolonged heat.

The New York Times

This refers to a technical barrier which makes it difficult for Google to rank Twitter information, a spokeswoman explained.

BBC

It's far more difficult to get ranked on the App Store's top charts these days, where only 2percentt of the top iPhone publishers in the U.S. are newcomers, studies have found.

TechCrunch

It is difficult, if not impossible, to rank Björk's solo records: each is indestructibly Björk-like, and if you love or hate any one of them you will probably love or hate them all.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair "difficult to rank" with concrete examples or data to strengthen your argument and illustrate the challenges involved.

Common error

Avoid exaggerating the difficulty. While something may be "difficult to rank", it's rarely impossible. Acknowledge the challenges, but also explore potential approaches or criteria that could be used to facilitate the process.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "difficult to rank" functions as an adjective phrase modifying an implicit or explicit noun. It indicates the challenge or obstacle associated with placing items in a sequential order based on certain criteria. Ludwig confirms that it's acceptable.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

43%

Science

43%

Wiki

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "difficult to rank" is a common and grammatically correct expression used to describe the challenge of ordering or prioritizing items. As demonstrated by Ludwig, it appears frequently in diverse contexts, including news, science, and general writing. When employing this phrase, it's beneficial to clarify the reasons for the difficulty and, according to Ludwig AI, avoid overstating the impossibility of ranking. Semantically related alternatives include "hard to classify" and "challenging to prioritize", offering writers alternative ways to convey similar meanings. It is important to keep in mind that, although the phrase is well accepted, ranking might still be possible with additional insights.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hard to classify

Emphasizes the difficulty in assigning something to a specific category or level.

challenging to prioritize

Highlights the struggle of ordering items based on importance.

tough to evaluate

Focuses on the complexity of judging the value or quality of something.

not easy to compare

Underlines the problem of finding common ground for comparison.

complex to assess

Indicates a complicated assessment process.

problematic to order

Highlights the difficulties in arranging items in a sequence.

tricky to grade

Focuses on the challenge of assigning a grade or score.

arduous to differentiate

Emphasizes the labor involved in distinguishing between items.

not straightforward to categorize

Indicates the categorization process is not simple or easy.

it's a judgment call

Suggests that ranking relies on subjective opinion rather than objective criteria.

FAQs

How can I use "difficult to rank" in a sentence?

You can use "difficult to rank" when you want to express that something is hard to put in order or prioritize because of different factors. For example: "It's "difficult to rank" the importance of each department's contribution to the project."

What are some alternatives to "difficult to rank"?

Alternatives include "hard to classify", "challenging to prioritize", or "tough to evaluate", depending on the specific nuance you wish to convey.

In what situations is it "difficult to rank" items?

It's often "difficult to rank" items when there are multiple, conflicting criteria, or when the differences between items are very small or subjective. The more ambiguous the criteria or limited the data, the harder to create a meaningful sequence.

Is there a difference between "difficult to rank" and "impossible to rank"?

"Difficult to rank" implies that ranking is challenging but potentially achievable, while "impossible to rank" suggests that ranking is completely unfeasible due to insurmountable obstacles.