half as frequent as

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "half as frequent as" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to compare the frequency of two events or occurrences, indicating that one happens at 50% of the rate of the other. Example: "The new model is half as frequent as the previous version in terms of maintenance needs."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

Finally, planning and monitoring codes turned out to be equally frequent (50% each) in the high-level content episodes; within the low-level content episodes, on the contrary, monitoring codes were only half as frequent as the planning codes.

Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training

This is less than half as frequent as previous reports of sequence variance between M. musculus and M. spretus [ 5].

BMC Genomics

The next most common tri-nucleotide motifs (AAC and AGG) were also used as hybridization probes, but were less than half as frequent as this previous motif, representing little more than 5% of the total SSRs found.

BMC Plant Biology

Although development of new colon cancer in patients randomized to bezafibrate was more than half as frequent as in those randomized to placebo, the difference reached only borderline statistical significance.

Cardiovascular Diabetology

The proportion of New York City adults with diagnosed diabetes not taking any medications was similar to national rates, but the proportion taking insulin was strikingly low (12%): only half as frequent as among adults with diabetes nationally (23%) (20).

Diabetes Care

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Because half of these individuals inherited the rearrangement from a parent [4], [10], the frequency of parents who are balanced translocation carriers would be half as frequent, or around 1 in 9524.

Plosone

Previous work has shown that AGA is about half as frequent in Asians as in Europeans (Hamilton 1951; Norwood 1975; Paik et al. 2001; Pathomvanich et al. 2002, Tang et al. 2000).

Human Genetics

We found CIC rates, which were half to two-thirds as frequent as apoptotic rates.

BioMed Research International

Use emoticons as frequent as possible.

WikiHow

That is, the second most frequent word is used only half as often as the most frequent word, and the 100th most frequent word is used only one hundredth as often as the most frequent word.

Encyclopedia Britannica

So if the most frequent term occurs times, then the second most frequent term has half as many occurrences, the third most frequent term a third as many occurrences, and so on.

Stanford University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "half as frequent as", ensure you clearly define the two events or occurrences you are comparing to avoid ambiguity. For instance, "The error occurred half as frequent as predicted".

Common error

Avoid using "half as frequent as" when you mean "half as likely as". Frequency refers to how often something does occur, not its probability of occurring. If the item is probabilistic rather than recurring, use "likely" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "half as frequent as" functions as a comparative adverbial phrase. According to Ludwig AI, it's used to quantify the relationship between the frequency of two events, indicating that one occurs 50% as often as the other. Examples in Ludwig show its use in comparing error rates, medical conditions, and other quantifiable phenomena.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

20%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "half as frequent as" is a phrase used for comparing the frequency of two events, indicating that one occurs 50% as often as the other. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and utility across various contexts. While categorized as relatively rare in occurrence, the phrase is versatile and suits neutral to formal communication, particularly in scientific, news, and general contexts. For alternative expressions, consider "half as common as" or "50% as frequent as" to ensure clarity and precision.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

half as common as

Replaces "frequent" with "common", maintaining the comparison of quantity or occurrence.

50% as frequent as

Expresses the same relationship using a percentage, providing a more numerical perspective.

less than half as frequent as

Clarifies that the frequency is even lower than half, adding specificity.

half the frequency of

Uses a noun phrase to describe the frequency, altering the grammatical structure.

occurs at half the rate of

Focuses on the rate of occurrence, providing a more dynamic description.

a frequency rate that is 50% lower than

The alternative refers to a "frequency rate" and incorporates the percentage value. It is more specific than the phrase "half as frequent as".

twice as rare as

Shifts the perspective to rarity instead of frequency, reversing the comparison.

significantly less frequent than

Implies a substantial difference in frequency, without specifying the exact proportion.

a reduced frequency compared to

Uses a more general term "reduced frequency", the alternative is not as specific as "half as frequent as".

not nearly as frequent as

Emphasizes the lower frequency, indicating a notable disparity.

FAQs

What does "half as frequent as" mean?

The phrase "half as frequent as" indicates that one event or occurrence happens at 50% of the rate of another. For example, if event A is "half as frequent as" event B, then event A occurs half as often as event B.

How to use "half as frequent as" in a sentence?

You can use "half as frequent as" to compare the occurrence rate of two different events or phenomena. For instance, "Complications from the surgery were "half as frequent as" with the older procedure".

What can I say instead of "half as frequent as"?

You can use alternatives like "half as common as", "50% as frequent as", or "twice as rare as" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "less frequent" instead of "half as frequent as"?

While "less frequent" implies a lower occurrence rate, it doesn't specify the exact proportion. "Half as frequent as" is more precise, indicating a 50% reduction in frequency. Use "less frequent" if you want to convey a general reduction without specifying the exact amount.