minutes to complete

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "minutes to complete" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate the amount of time required to finish a task or activity. Example: "This assignment should take approximately 30 minutes to complete."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

Each revolution took close to forty minutes to complete.

The New Yorker

They needed about another 90 minutes to complete the negotiations.

The New York Times - Sports

The survey takes no more than 10 minutes to complete.

The Guardian

Allow students approximately ten minutes to complete their notes.

The New York Times

It takes 15 minutes to complete a rotation.

The New York Times

The process took 90 minutes to complete.

TechCrunch

Each sample event takes about 2 minutes to complete.

Journal of Chemical Health and Safety

They had 5 minutes to complete their map.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

Participants were given 8 minutes to complete these tasks.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

Interviews typically took 60 90 minutes to complete.

Health & Justice

Students were given 40 minutes to complete the task.

Language Testing in Asia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When estimating time, provide a range (e.g., "5-10 minutes to complete") to account for variability in individual performance or unexpected delays.

Common error

Avoid padding the estimated time excessively. Provide a realistic estimate of "minutes to complete". Overly generous estimates can lead to procrastination or inefficiency.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "minutes to complete" functions as a noun phrase, specifically indicating the duration required for task completion. This is supported by Ludwig's assessment that the phrase is correct and usable in written English. The examples show its role in providing time estimates.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

58%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

3%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "minutes to complete" is a common and grammatically sound way to express the time needed to finish a task, as confirmed by Ludwig. It's most frequently found in scientific and news contexts. When using this phrase, it's advisable to provide a time range for more accurate estimations. Avoid overly padding the time, and consider the context when determining the level of precision needed. The numerous examples show how versatile and applicable the phrase is across different domains.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

time needed to finish

Focuses on the "time needed" aspect, offering a simpler structure.

duration to completion

Replaces "minutes" with "duration" and "complete" with "completion", making it more formal.

time it takes to finish

Emphasizes the process and the time involved in finishing something.

estimated completion time

Highlights the estimation aspect of the time required.

time to be spent completing

Focuses on the allocation of time for the completion process.

how long to get done

Uses a more informal and conversational tone.

anticipated timeframe for finishing

Provides a more formal and predictive sense of the completion time.

projected minutes until finished

Specifies the projection of time left until completion.

required time for finishing

Highlights the necessity of the time required.

allotted minutes for completion

Indicates a specific amount of time dedicated to complete a task.

FAQs

How do I use "minutes to complete" in a sentence?

You can use "minutes to complete" to describe the time needed to finish a task. For example, "The survey takes approximately 15 "minutes to complete"".

What are some alternatives to "minutes to complete"?

Alternatives include "time needed to finish", "duration to completion", or "estimated completion time", depending on the context.

Is it better to say "minutes to complete" or "minutes for completion"?

"Minutes to complete" is generally preferred because it directly describes the time required to finish something. "Minutes for completion" is less common but can be used to allocate time, such as "allocate 20 minutes for completion".

How precise should I be when estimating "minutes to complete"?

The level of precision depends on the context. For casual tasks, an approximate estimate (e.g., "about 10 minutes") is sufficient. For more critical tasks, providing a range (e.g., "10-15 minutes") is more accurate.