problem encountered

USAGE SUMMARY

'problem encountered' is correct and usable in written English.
You could use it to describe a problem that has been discovered or has arisen: During the project, a few problems were encountered that required careful problem-solving to resolve.

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Wiki

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

This is the problem encountered by Reynolds (albeit one complicated by an unwitting foreshortening).

The Guardian - Music

Present Cal 1 Card or Department Card and a description of the problem encountered.

University of California, Berkeley

But despite that, she faces a problem encountered, I suspect, by other royal biographers.

The New York Times

The main problem encountered in this technique is how to increase the contact area.

Surface and Coatings Technology

Like several Web 2.0 success stories, Del.icio.us began life as the elegant solution to a problem encountered by its creator.

The Guardian - Tech

The vortex formation at pump intake is a common problem encountered by practicing engineers of pumps.

Procedia Engineering

Lost circulation is the most common problem encountered while drilling oil wells.

Applied Soft Computing

Nonlinear dimensionality reduction is a challenging problem encountered in a variety of high dimensional data analysis.

Image and Vision Computing

Fouling is a common but serious problem encountered during membrane filtration.

Journal of Membrane Science

An important problem encountered in biocontrol is the failure of introduced populations to establish and persist.

Ecological Modelling

The laboratory demonstrated scale formation and control in pipes, a persistent problem encountered in many industries.

Education for Chemical Engineers

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair it with specific adjectives such as "common", "major" or "technical" to provide immediate context to the reader.

Common error

Do not write "the problem encountered that we found" because the word "encountered" already implies that the problem was found or discovered. Simply state "the "problem encountered"" to keep your writing concise.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "problem encountered" functions as a noun phrase often followed by a prepositional phrase. In many Ludwig examples, the past participle "encountered" acts as a reduced relative clause (the problem [that was] encountered), effectively modifying the noun to specify its status as an observed difficulty.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

65%

News & Media

20%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "problem encountered" is a highly versatile and professional expression used to document difficulties across various fields. According to Ludwig AI, it is particularly prevalent in Science and News & Media, where it serves as an objective tool for describing obstacles without emotional bias. Whether you are writing a technical report for ScienceDirect or a news article for the BBC, this phrase allows you to remain precise and formal. It is grammatically correct and is best used when the focus is on the nature of the difficulty rather than the person who found it. By following the examples provided by Ludwig, writers can ensure their reporting of setbacks remains clear and authoritative.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

issue faced

more common in business and customer service contexts

challenge identified

suggests a more analytical or proactive approach to a difficulty

complication detected

often used in medical or technical monitoring reports

obstacle met

implies a physical or metaphorical barrier to progress

setback experienced

emphasizes the delay or regression caused by the problem

difficulty arisen

focuses on the spontaneous emergence of a problem

problem confronted

suggests a more direct and active engagement with the issue

hitch discovered

more informal and typically refers to minor technical glitches

snag hit

an idiomatic expression for running into an unexpected minor problem

dilemma encountered

specifically refers to a problem involving a difficult choice

FAQs

How to use "problem encountered" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe an issue that arose during a process, for example: "The most significant "problem encountered" during the trial was the lack of participant engagement."

What can I say instead of "problem encountered"?

Depending on the context, you can use phrases like "issue faced", "challenge identified" or "complication detected".

Is "problem encountered" formal enough for a research paper?

Yes, it is highly appropriate for research papers. In fact, many scientific examples in Ludwig show it used in peer-reviewed journals to describe experimental hurdles.

What is the difference between "problem encountered" and "issue arisen"?

The phrase "problem encountered" implies that an observer or researcher actively met the problem during a task, while "issue arisen" focuses more on the fact that the problem simply started to exist.