it appear to work

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "it appear to work" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct form should be "it appears to work." You can use this phrase when discussing the functionality or effectiveness of something that seems to be working as intended. Example: "After testing the new software, it appears to work without any issues."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Nor does it appear to work by destroying a fertilized egg or preventing implantation, which would negate the concerns of those who consider fertilization, not implantation, the start of pregnancy.

The New York Times - Health

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Wall Street thought that its lobbying could weaken any reform, and it appeared to work when the House bill's section on derivatives was filled with loopholes late last year, while the public and the news media were focused on health care.

The New York Times

It appeared to work.

The New Yorker

And it appeared to work.

The Guardian

It looks like an incongruous mixture, but it appears to work.

The Economist

All they knew is they liked it and it appeared to work.

The Guardian - Tech

The notion sounds unworkable, but to my surprise it appears to work.

The Guardian

If the motive was to discredit Mr. Maliki's government and Iraq's security forces, however, it appeared to work.

The New York Times

The aim was to energise the galleries and, it was hoped, intimidate the American players and it appeared to work.

The Guardian - Sport

"There are all sorts of bogus theories about acupuncture, but the bottom line is that it appears to work.

The Guardian

It appears to work in the United States and be accepted in Canada (a strong civil liberties jurisdiction).

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for a more casual tone, "it looks like it's working" may be suitable, but be mindful of your audience.

Common error

Avoid using the phrase "it appear to work". This error occurs due to incorrect verb conjugation. Always remember to conjugate "appear" to "appears" when the subject is "it".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it appear to work" attempts to function as an observation about the apparent functionality of something. However, as Ludwig AI points out, the phrasing is grammatically incorrect due to incorrect verb conjugation. The correct form should be "it appears to work".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "it appear to work" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in formal writing. The correct form is "it appears to work". Ludwig AI underlines its grammatical flaw. While it may be understood in informal contexts, using the correct form enhances clarity and credibility. When communicating the idea that something seems to be functioning as intended, consider using alternative phrases such as "it seems to function correctly" or "it looks like it's working" depending on the intended tone. The context also matters, remember to consider the audience.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it appears to be effective

Replaces the verb "work" with the adjective "effective" and corrects the grammar to use "appears to be".

it seems to function correctly

Substitutes "appear" with "seem" and "work" with "function correctly", offering a more formal tone.

it looks like it's working

Uses a more casual phrasing with "looks like" and the continuous form "working".

it is apparently successful

Replaces "appear" with "apparently" and "work" with "successful", emphasizing the positive outcome.

it gives the impression of working

Expresses that the phrase provides an impression that it works, without confirming if it actually works.

it is seemingly functional

Uses "seemingly" to indicate an apparent functionality.

it presents as effective

Replaces "appear" with "present" and "work" with "effective", framing the action as a presentation of effectiveness.

it manifests as operational

Substitutes "appear" with "manifests" and "work" with "operational", suggesting the action is in effect.

it promises to work

Indicates future expectation and relies on the verb "promise" to express anticipated functionality.

it portends functionality

Utilizes "portends" to suggest that the action hints toward functionality.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "it appear to work"?

The correct phrasing is "it appears to work". The verb "appear" needs to be conjugated to "appears" to agree with the singular subject "it".

What does "it appears to work" mean?

The phrase "it appears to work" means something seems to be functioning as intended or producing the expected results.

Are there alternatives to "it appears to work"?

Yes, you can use alternatives such as "it seems to function correctly", "it looks like it's working", or /s/it+appears+to+be+effective depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "it appears to work"?

Use "it appears to work" when you want to convey that something seems to be working based on observation, but you might not have definitive proof. If you want to use it with a casual tone, then you can consider /s/it+looks+like+it's+working.