from most common to least common

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "from most common to least common" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing a ranking or ordering of items based on their frequency or prevalence. Example: "The survey results showed the preferences of participants ranked from most common to least common."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

A counter that iterates from most common to least common and can return new RelativeCounters that adjust for proportion or percentage.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Although these terms are presented from most common to least common, here we'll approach them in reverse order because it's easier to explain that way.

TechCrunch

The themes are discussed from most common to least common (see Figure  1).

BMC Women's Health

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Figure 2 shows the serotype distribution when the solates were ranked from the most common to least common one, separately for each room.

BMC Infectious Diseases

The three most common types of initially prescribed hormonal contraceptive in Sweden are from most to least common: ethinylestradiol+levonorgestrel (43.3%), desogestrel-only (24.4%) and ethinylestradiol+drospirenone (11.1%).

BMJ Open

These sequences were rank-ordered from most to least common and sequentially numbered to give every sequence a unique name.

Plosone

Table 1 shows the drug resistance patterns (antibiograms) in this study, listed from most to least common.

BMC Infectious Diseases

In a group, rank these 10 words from the most common to the least common: of, be, and, a, that, have, the, to, in, and I. a) Go for a run on the treadmill instead?

The Guardian

In this plot, we show the frequency of subgraphs ordered by rank, from the most common to the least.

Evolution: Education and Outreach

Here are the five contaminant chemicals we were able to test for, curated from the most common to the least.

Vice

For participation in patient care, students were asked to rank from 1 (most common) to 5 (least common) for barriers to participation.

BMC Medical Education

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When presenting data or information, use "from most common to least common" to clearly indicate the order of arrangement. This helps your audience quickly understand the relative frequency or prevalence of the items being discussed.

Common error

Ensure that the criteria for determining 'common' are consistent throughout your analysis. Switching metrics (e.g., using popularity for some items and frequency for others) can confuse your audience and undermine the validity of your ranking.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "from most common to least common" functions as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb, indicating the manner in which something is ordered or arranged. It provides context about the sequence or ranking of items based on their frequency, as confirmed by Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

67%

News & Media

22%

Academia

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "from most common to least common" serves as a clear indicator of ordering, specifying that items are arranged based on their frequency or prevalence. Ludwig confirms that this phrase is grammatically sound and suitable for various contexts, particularly in scientific, academic, and news-related domains. While not extremely frequent, its usage is well-established and easily understood. When employing this phrase, ensure consistency in the criteria used to determine 'common' to avoid confusion. Alternatives such as "in descending order of frequency" or "ranked by prevalence" can provide variety while maintaining clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

from most frequent to least frequent

This is a direct synonym using 'frequent'.

in descending order of frequency

This alternative directly states the order is from most to least frequent.

ranked by prevalence

This alternative focuses on how common something is.

ordered from highest to lowest frequency

This option uses 'highest' and 'lowest' to express the range of frequency.

arranged by commonality, decreasing

This alternative uses 'commonality' to highlight what is being ranked.

sorted by popularity, descending

This option substitutes commonness with 'popularity'.

listed in order of decreasing incidence

Using 'incidence' provides a statistical context.

categorized by frequency, highest first

This stresses the categorization process.

organized from top to bottom by occurrence

This provides a more visual ranking perspective.

presented from widespread to rare

This emphasizes the spectrum of occurrence.

FAQs

How can I use "from most common to least common" in a sentence?

You can use "from most common to least common" to describe the order in which items are presented, such as, "The survey results are presented "from most common to least common" to highlight the most prevalent trends first."

What phrases are similar to "from most common to least common"?

Similar phrases include "in descending order of frequency", "ranked by prevalence", or "ordered from highest to lowest frequency".

Is it always necessary to specify the order when presenting a ranked list?

While not always mandatory, specifying the order (e.g., using "from most common to least common") enhances clarity and prevents misinterpretation, especially when the ranking criterion is not immediately obvious.

Can I use "from most common to least common" in both formal and informal writing?

Yes, the phrase "from most common to least common" is appropriate for both formal and informal writing. However, consider your audience and the overall tone of your writing when choosing the most suitable phrase.