impossible to choose

USAGE SUMMARY

"impossible to choose" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You would use it when expressing that someone or something cannot make a decision because the options are equally impossible. For example, "With all of the delicious choices, it was impossible to choose which dessert to have."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

50 human-written examples

It's impossible to choose.

The New Yorker

It's impossible to choose just one.

Independent

It's impossible to choose a favourite city.

Independent

I'm finding it almost impossible to choose between them.

The New York Times

It is impossible to choose objectively among New York's great fish restaurants.

The New York Times - Magazine

Instead so many things are bad that it is almost impossible to choose among them.

The Guardian - Opinion

Entrees are just as delicious and almost impossible to choose among.

The New York Times

Impossible to choose, from among the crystalline descriptions in Burning the Days, a line to quote.

The Guardian - Books

Since the rocks of the Anthropocene don't yet exist, it's impossible to choose an exemplary sequence of them.

The New Yorker

It is impossible to choose between the two.I always enjoy the train ride between the two cities.

The Economist

It would have been impossible to choose a more popular player to score the winner in South Africa in 2010.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "impossible to choose" when you want to emphasize the extreme difficulty of making a decision due to equally compelling options. Ensure the context supports the impossibility rather than mere difficulty.

Common error

Avoid using "impossible to choose" when the situation merely presents a difficult choice, but a decision is still possible. Using a less emphatic phrase like "difficult to choose" may be more appropriate in such cases.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "impossible to choose" functions as a descriptive adjective phrase, modifying an implied or stated noun (e.g., 'decision', 'option'). It expresses the extreme difficulty or impossibility of making a selection. Ludwig AI confirms that this is grammatically correct and widely used.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

39%

Science

29%

Academia

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

6%

Wiki

3%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "impossible to choose" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase to express extreme difficulty in making a decision. Ludwig AI identifies its widespread usage across news, science, and academic contexts, indicating its versatility and appropriateness for diverse communication styles. While "difficult to choose" is a milder alternative, "impossible to choose" emphasizes a genuine inability to select. Remember to consider the intensity of the situation when deciding if "impossible" accurately reflects the difficulty faced. The phrase is commonly used and understood, as Ludwig's examples demonstrate.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hard to decide

Emphasizes the difficulty in making a decision, rather than complete impossibility.

difficult to pick

Highlights the challenge in selecting one option from several possibilities.

challenging to select

Focuses on the demanding nature of the selection process.

not easy to determine

Suggests that the decision requires careful consideration and is not straightforward.

presents a difficult choice

Shifts the focus to the situation presenting the difficulty, rather than the chooser's ability.

it's a tough call

An informal expression indicating a difficult decision.

one cannot easily decide

A more formal way of expressing the difficulty in making a choice.

it defies easy selection

Highlights the inherent resistance to being easily chosen.

a choice is impractical

Implies the option to choose exists but is not useful.

selection is unfeasible

Selection is not possible or practical.

FAQs

How can I use "impossible to choose" in a sentence?

You can use "impossible to choose" to describe a situation where making a decision is extremely difficult due to equally appealing or unappealing options. For example, "Faced with so many equally qualified candidates, it was "impossible to choose" just one for the job".

What's a more formal alternative to "impossible to choose"?

A more formal alternative could be "it defies easy selection" or "one cannot easily decide". These phrases maintain a sense of difficulty while being suitable for professional or academic contexts.

Is "impossible to chose" a correct spelling?

No, "impossible to chose" is a misspelling. The correct spelling is "impossible to choose", with two 'o's.

What's the difference between "difficult to choose" and "impossible to choose"?

"Difficult to choose" implies a challenge in making a decision, but it's still feasible. "Impossible to choose", on the other hand, suggests that making a decision is not practically possible due to the circumstances. The intensity of the inability to make a decision differs.