five stories high

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "five stories high" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe the height of a building or structure in terms of the number of stories it has. Example: "The new apartment complex is five stories high, offering stunning views from the upper floors."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

45 human-written examples

The roof looked like it was five stories high.

The New Yorker

With its neck straight, the dinosaur would have reached five stories high.

The Guardian

The space, which formerly housed electricity generators, is five stories high, and its floor is thirty-five thousand square feet.

The New Yorker

Flames rose five stories high, and fireboats rushed from Lake Erie to bring the blaze under control.

The New Yorker

Most of ancient Ostia's 50,000 residents lived in densely packed apartment buildings four or five stories high.

The New York Times - Travel

These color images — printed on the glass using ceramic ink — are a city block long and five stories high.

The New York Times - Arts

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

14 human-written examples

Where 130 once existed, only about nine remain, some four and five stories high.

The New York Times - Travel

Twenty-five stories high and weighing fifty thousand tons, the radar will be installed on a self-propelled oil platform, and, because it is too big to fit through the Panama Canal, it will have to sail around Cape Horn on its way up to the Aleutian Islands, dodging gales from the Bering Sea.

The New Yorker

I wrote about the Tower, and el Niño Daza, the ex-con who controlled it, for the magazine last year; it is forty-five stories high, with open floors and missing panels where its mirror-glass cladding should be, and had become the world's tallest slum.

The New Yorker

The lights were on in hundreds of bedrooms in the Hilton, indeed people were sleeping and dreaming all over the hotel with the sound of young orators declaiming in the night below, voices rising twenty, twenty-five stories high, the voices clear in the spell of sound which hung over the Hilton.

The New Yorker

It is three stories high.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "five stories high" to provide a clear and relatable indication of a structure's height, especially when the audience may not be familiar with precise measurements. It provides an easily visualizable reference point.

Common error

Avoid using "five stories high" when precision is crucial. While it offers a general sense of height, it can be subjective, as story heights can vary. In technical or architectural contexts, always provide exact measurements.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "five stories high" functions primarily as an adjectival phrase modifying a noun (e.g., building, structure). It describes the height of something by relating it to a common frame of reference, namely the height of a story in a building. As Ludwig AI explains, this construction is grammatically sound.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

83%

Wiki

8%

Encyclopedias

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Science

1%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "five stories high" is a common and grammatically correct way to describe the height of a structure by relating it to the height of building stories. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in written English. Predominantly found in news and media, it serves to provide a relatable visualization of height for a broad audience. While useful for general descriptions, it should be replaced with precise measurements in contexts demanding accuracy, such as architectural or technical specifications.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Five-story tall

Adjective placement varies, but meaning remains consistent.

Five floors tall

Substitutes 'stories' with 'floors' without altering the core meaning.

With a height of five stories

Describes the structure's height directly.

Reaching five stories

Focuses on the action of attaining a height of five stories.

Comprising five stories

Indicates that the structure is made up of five stories.

Five levels high

Uses 'levels' instead of 'stories', but maintains the same meaning in most contexts.

Standing five stories

Highlights the vertical presence of the structure.

Equivalent to a five-story building

Expresses height equivalence using a relatable comparison.

As tall as five stories

Uses simile to illustrate the height.

Extending five stories upward

Emphasizes the upward direction of the height.

FAQs

How can I use "five stories high" in a sentence?

You can use "five stories high" to describe the height of a building or other structure. For example: "The new apartment building is "five stories high"."

What phrases are similar to "five stories high"?

Similar phrases include "five-story tall", "as tall as five stories", or "five levels high". These alternatives offer comparable descriptions of height.

Is it correct to say "five-story high"?

While less common, "five-story high" can be used, but it's often better to use ""five stories high"" or ""five-story tall"". The key is consistency and clarity in your writing.

When should I use precise measurements instead of "five stories high"?

In technical documents, architectural plans, or any situation where exactness is important, use precise measurements (e.g., meters or feet) instead of the relative description ""five stories high"".