there are around

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "there are around" is a perfectly grammatically correct and usable phrase in written English.
You would use it to indicate that something is true in a general sense but not precise. For example: "There are around a dozen people in the room."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

Right now there are around 4,400 stores in Europe, and almost 2,000 in Spain alone.

The New York Times - Magazine

For example, at room temperature there are around 1027 molecules of a gas in a room.

Encyclopedia Britannica

According to its website: "On a typical day there are around 2,200 people on site".

BBC

By the end of the first world war there were around 4,000 Italians living in Scotland.

The Guardian - Travel

A survey in the late 1990s revealed there were around 4,000 pairs.

The Guardian

"There are around 6,000 contract workers.

The New York Times

There are around 6,000 students.

The Guardian

There are around 5000 of them in Recife, Brazil.

Engineering Structures

There are around 6,000 visiting fans.

The Guardian - Sport

There are around 3,200 tigers left in the wild globally.

The Guardian

There are around 4,000 qualified landscape architects in the Landscape Institute.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "there are around" when you want to convey an approximate number and precision is not crucial. It adds a degree of uncertainty that is suitable for general statements.

Common error

Avoid using "there are around" when you have exact figures. Using approximations when precise data is available can undermine your credibility.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "there are around" serves as an existential quantifier, indicating the approximate existence and quantity of something. It introduces a statement about the number of items or entities that exist, providing an estimated amount rather than a precise count, as confirmed by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

61%

Academia

19%

Science

12%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "there are around" is a versatile and grammatically sound expression used to indicate an approximate quantity or amount. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's suitable for situations where precision is not essential. The phrase enjoys widespread use across diverse contexts, particularly in news media, academic writing, and scientific reports. While "there are around" is appropriate for general estimations, avoiding it when precise figures are available ensures greater credibility. Alternatives such as "approximately there are" or "roughly there are" can provide similar meanings with subtle variations in formality.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

approximately there are

Reorders the phrase while maintaining the approximation.

there are approximately

Moves "approximately" to a different position in the sentence.

there are roughly

Uses "roughly" as a synonym for "around."

about

Uses a simpler, single-word equivalent of "around."

there are something like

Uses a more informal expression to convey approximation.

there are in the vicinity of

Replaces "around" with a more formal expression.

there are in the neighborhood of

Similar to "in the vicinity of", indicating an estimated quantity.

give or take

Indicates that the number is close, but slightly variable.

an estimated number of

Replaces the entire phrase with a noun phrase indicating estimation.

it is estimated that there are

Changes the sentence structure to emphasize the estimation.

FAQs

How to use "there are around" in a sentence?

Use "there are around" to indicate an approximate quantity. For example, "There are around 100 students in the class" suggests the number is close to 100, but not necessarily exact.

What can I say instead of "there are around"?

You can use alternatives like "approximately there are", "there are approximately", or "there are roughly" depending on the context.

Is it more formal to say "there are around" or "approximately there are"?

"Approximately there are" is slightly more formal than "there are around". Both are acceptable in most contexts, but the former might be preferred in academic or formal writing.

What's the difference between "there are around" and "there are exactly"?

"There are around" indicates an estimation, whereas "there are exactly" indicates a precise number. They convey opposite meanings regarding the accuracy of the quantity.