one in every two

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "one in every two" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate a statistical ratio or probability, often in contexts related to surveys, studies, or general observations about a population. Example: "According to the survey, one in every two people prefers coffee over tea."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

Fifty years ago a single advertisement on commercial TV could grab one in every two viewers.

The Guardian

One in every two people on the continent lives in extreme poverty.

Huffington Post

Conservative estimates put one in every two page views on MySpace containing content from Photobucket users.

TechCrunch

The abundance of SSRs (perfect and imperfect) in the unigenes can range from one in every 100 to one in every two unigenes depending on the minimum length (Table 1).

BMC Genomics

"The fact that Mozambique has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, affecting almost one in every two girls, is an affront to human rights on a massive scale.

The Guardian

One in every two adults in Korea have the Coupang app on their phone, the company claims.

TechCrunch

One in every two domestic stalkers, if they make a threat, will act on it.

The Guardian - Opinion

The forecast is even bleaker for Latinos: one in every two.

The New York Times

One in every two shops in Kolonaki and Glyfada (two trendy Athens neighbourhoods) has closed, says Ms Partheni.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

A quarter of people who have the surgery will suffer complications and one in every two hundred will die from it.

Huffington Post

Less than one in every two thousand licensees had continued their non-compliance to the point of this triggering legal action by authorities.

BMC Public Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "one in every two" to emphasize the distribution or frequency within a specific group or population. For instance, "One in every two adults in the country has access to the internet" highlights the prevalence of internet access.

Common error

Avoid using "one in every two" when the sample size is too small to draw meaningful conclusions. For example, saying "One in every two people I asked liked the product" is misleading if you only asked four people.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "one in every two" functions as a quantifier, specifying a proportion or ratio. Ludwig AI indicates this usage is correct and common. It's used to express that a certain characteristic or event occurs in half of the instances.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

2%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "one in every two" is a common and grammatically sound way to express a 50% proportion. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness. Predominantly found in news, science, and formal business contexts, this quantifier serves to convey statistical information in an accessible manner. Alternatives include "half" or "50 percent". While its versatility is apparent, avoid using it with very small sample sizes to prevent misleading impressions. Top sources employing this phrase include The Guardian and The New York Times, further solidifying its reliability.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fifty percent

Expresses the proportion directly as a percentage.

half

A simpler and more common way to say "one in every two".

50% of

Directly indicates a proportion of a whole.

one half of

A more formal way to express the same proportion.

every other

Highlights the alternating nature of the proportion.

in half the cases

Specifically refers to a 50% probability in events or situations.

proportion of 0.5

Uses a decimal to express the fraction.

fifty out of one hundred

Expresses the proportion as a ratio.

an equal chance

Focuses on the probability aspect rather than the specific ratio.

possibility of 50/50

Indicates an even split in possible outcomes.

FAQs

What does "one in every two" mean?

The phrase "one in every two" means 50 percent, or half, of a group or population. It's used to indicate a ratio or proportion.

How can I use "one in every two" in a sentence?

You can use "one in every two" to describe a statistic or probability. For example: "One in every two students passed the exam."

Which is more common, "one in every two" or "50 percent"?

"50 percent" is generally more common in formal writing and statistical reports, while "one in every two" is often used in more conversational or descriptive contexts.

What are some alternatives to saying "one in every two"?

Alternatives include "half", "50 percent", or "50% of" depending on the context.