practically all

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "practically all" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate that almost everything or everyone in a particular group is included, but not necessarily every single one. Example: "Practically all the students passed the exam, with only a few needing to retake it."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

He did practically all the talking.

The New York Times

"And when was it necessary?" "Practically all the time".

The New Yorker

Doing The Inbetweeners is practically all they've ever known".

The Guardian - Film

Practically all the new sites are niche players.

The New York Times

So it was possible to slice through practically all the nuclei.

Yale University

In the text practically all a stances are given in the metric system.

Cornell University

Practically all the cars get redesigns over the next two years.

Forbes

Practically all the new colors for Apple Watch for Spring 2018.

Forbes

They exiled all practically all the people, who have now returned.

BBC

Spent practically all his time at office.

The New Yorker

Practically all these failed.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "practically all", ensure the context allows for minor exceptions. This phrase is best suited when a small number of exclusions don't significantly alter the overall meaning.

Common error

Avoid using "practically all" when precision is crucial and even minor exceptions are significant. In such cases, more precise quantifiers or qualifiers might be more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "practically all" functions as a quantifier, specifying the extent or degree to which something applies. As shown in Ludwig, it serves to indicate that almost everything or everyone within a particular context is included.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

48%

Academia

33%

Science

13%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "practically all" is a versatile quantifier that suggests near-completeness while acknowledging possible exceptions. Ludwig's analysis shows it's widely used in diverse contexts, including news, academia, and scientific writing. As highlighted by Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct and usable in written English, making it a valuable tool for expressing general truths without absolute certainty. When using "practically all", consider the context and ensure that any exceptions do not significantly undermine the statement's overall validity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Almost all

Replaces "practically" with "almost", conveying a very similar degree of completeness.

Nearly all

Uses "nearly" instead of "practically", indicating a slight difference in approximation.

Virtually all

Substitutes "practically" with "virtually", suggesting a close-to-total extent.

Just about all

Adds "just about" to emphasize the completeness, conveying a slightly more informal tone.

In effect, all

Highlights the end result of completeness.

For all intents and purposes, all

Stresses the practical consequence of the totality.

All but a few

Focuses on the small exception, highlighting the overall completeness.

The vast majority

Shifts the focus to the large proportion, rather than absolute completeness.

A large percentage

Expresses completeness as a percentage, making it less absolute.

By and large, all

Indicates general completeness, but allows for more exceptions.

FAQs

How can I use "practically all" in a sentence?

The phrase "practically all" is used to indicate that almost everything or everyone in a group is included. For example, you could say, "Practically all the tickets were sold" or "Practically all the students passed the exam".

What are some alternatives to saying "practically all"?

You can use alternatives like "almost all", "nearly all", or "virtually all" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "practically all" or should I use "almost all"?

Both "practically all" and "almost all" are correct and widely used. The choice often depends on personal preference or the specific nuance you want to convey.

What's the difference between "practically all" and "all"?

"All" indicates 100% inclusion, whereas "practically all" suggests a very high degree of inclusion, but allows for a few exceptions. Saying "all" means 100%, whereas "practically all" implies that only a very small portion is not included.