it took approximately

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "it took approximately" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to indicate an estimated duration of time taken for an event or action. Example: "It took approximately three hours to complete the project."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

It took approximately 5.5 hours from 4 cm to 10 cm, compared with 2.5 hours under the Friedman curve.

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

It took approximately five minutes for workers to finally open the hatch.

The New York Times

It took approximately 4 5 days longer for treatment with 75 and 88% SMS to form the primordia than that of the control.

Scientia Horticulturae

The mussels were kept in an enclosed sample chamber placed in the sample basket of the submersible, and it took approximately three hours from sampling to sample preservation.

Nature

It took approximately 10 min to administer the MoCA.

The Journal of Headache and Pain

It took approximately 1 year of span for data gathering.

European Transport Research Review

It took approximately 5 20 min to measure a single point, depending on the satellite condition.

Earth, Planets and Space

For the Shazam-based algorithm, it took approximately 1147 s (approximately 19 min) to fingerprint the songs, while it took approximately 1489 s (approximately 25 min) to generate the spectrogram images for the songs for the image library.

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

It took approximately 13 hours for Pokémon Go to reach the top of download charts in the U.S.

Forbes

Which means that it took approximately 18 minutes for the news to reach him in the first place.

TechCrunch

With this policy it took approximately 30 years for the species diversity index to reach 90% of its maximum steady-state value of 108%.

Forest Ecosystems

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "it took approximately", ensure the context clearly indicates what the 'it' refers to. Be specific about the subject to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "it took approximately" when you have precise data. If you know the exact time, state it directly rather than using an approximation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it took approximately" functions as an introductory expression to indicate the duration of an action or event. It is used to provide an estimate rather than a precise measurement. Ludwig shows numerous examples of this usage across various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

30%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

2%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "it took approximately" is a versatile phrase used to indicate an estimated duration of time. As confirmed by Ludwig, it is grammatically sound and frequently used in diverse contexts, primarily science and news media. When using this phrase, ensure the subject is clear and avoid using it when precise figures are available. Alternatives such as "it took about" or "it took roughly" can be used depending on the desired level of formality. The phrase's prevalence and grammatical correctness make it a reliable choice for expressing estimated timeframes in writing and speech.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it required roughly

Replaces "took" with "required" and "approximately" with "roughly", suggesting a need or necessity and a less precise estimation.

it lasted almost

Replaces "took" with "lasted" and "approximately" with "almost", focusing on the duration of an event with a close estimation.

it needed about

Substitutes "took" with "needed" and "approximately" with "about", implying a requirement and a less formal estimation.

it spanned nearly

Uses "spanned" to indicate the duration and "nearly" for approximation, suitable for describing periods of time.

the period was estimated at

Restructures the sentence to emphasize "period" and uses "estimated at" to convey approximation in a more formal setting.

it extended around

Employs "extended" to convey duration and "around" to indicate approximation, suitable for describing a drawn-out period.

the duration was roughly

Changes the structure to focus on "duration", using "roughly" for approximation and creating a more formal tone.

it occupied close to

Uses "occupied" to denote time and "close to" for a near estimation, fitting when something fills a specific timeframe.

it was in the neighborhood of

Replaces "took approximately" with a colloquial expression that indicates a rough estimate.

it hovered around

This phrase conveys that the time was not precise and stayed near a certain value, using a less direct approximation.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "it took approximately"?

You can use alternatives like "it took about", "it took roughly", or "it required nearly depending on the context.

Is it more formal to say "it took approximately" or "it took about"?

"It took approximately" is generally considered more formal than "it took about". The former is suitable for academic or professional writing, while the latter is fine for informal communication.

How do I use "it took approximately" in a sentence?

You can use "it took approximately" to estimate the duration of an event. For example, "it took approximately three hours to complete the project".

What's the difference between "it took approximately" and "it took exactly"?

"It took approximately" indicates an estimated duration, while "it took exactly" indicates a precise duration. Use "it took exactly" when the time is known with certainty.