worst than

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "worst than" is not correct in standard written English; the correct form is "worse than." You can use "worse than" when comparing two things, indicating that one is of lower quality or more negative than the other.
Example: "This situation is worse than I expected."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

54 human-written examples

"The general view of the Afghans is that the current government is worst than the Taliban".

The New York Times

It's a little worst than Basic training ie: being naked and handcuffed..

The New Yorker

But Goldman seems to have been better prepared for the worst than anyone would have believed.

The New York Times

It's a little worst than Basic training ie: being naked and handcuffed...

The New Yorker

The argument here is seductive; it is easier to assume the worst than to hope for the best.

The Guardian

"What I've seen tonight is worst than the worst night that we had in August," said Belmar.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

5 human-written examples

February 13 , 20145.01pm GMT Pound and gold up as dollar suffers The dollar has weakened today, since the worst-than-expected retail sales and jobless claims data was released at 1.30pm GMT.

The Guardian - Business

I've been called worst names than that.

The New York Times - Sports

"I would rather have had the worst companion than no companion at all," he noted.

The New Yorker

"Relations are probably at their worst now than at any time since 1982 and the Falklands war.

The Guardian

The Nets seem more likely to challenge the N.B.A.'s record for worst attendance than challenge for a division title.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "worse than" when comparing two items or situations. "Worst" is a superlative and should only be used when comparing three or more items. For example, "This movie is worse than the last one I saw".

Common error

Avoid using "worst than" when you mean "worse than". The word "worst" indicates the highest degree of something, not a comparison between two things. For example, instead of saying "This option is worst than the other", say "This option is "worse than" the other".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "worst than" functions as a comparative, attempting to express that one thing is of a lower standard than another. However, it uses the superlative "worst" incorrectly. According to Ludwig AI, this phrase is not correct in standard written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

33%

Wiki

13%

Less common in

Formal & Business

7%

Academia

6%

Reference

6%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "worst than" is commonly found across various sources, it is grammatically incorrect. The correct comparative form is ""worse than"". Ludwig AI indicates that using "worst than" violates standard English grammar. Therefore, to maintain clarity and credibility, it's essential to use ""worse than"" for comparisons, especially in formal or professional writing. Remember that "worst" denotes the extreme, while "worse" facilitates comparison between two entities.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

worse than

Corrects the grammatical error by using the proper comparative form of 'bad'.

more awful than

Replaces "worst" with a different adjective, "awful", and uses "more" to form the comparative.

more terrible than

Replaces "worst" with "terrible" and employs "more" for comparison, emphasizing severity.

less desirable than

Offers a comparison based on desirability rather than severity, providing a contrasting perspective.

more unfavorable than

Uses "unfavorable" to describe the comparison, suggesting a negative outcome or situation.

inferior to

Shifts the focus to inferiority, indicating that one thing is of lower quality or status than another.

not as good as

Provides a simpler way to express comparison, indicating that something does not measure up to a standard.

of lower quality than

Focuses on the quality aspect of the comparison, highlighting that one thing is of lesser quality.

more problematic than

Emphasizes the problems associated with one thing compared to another.

exceedingly bad compared to

Expresses the same concept using more sophisticated vocabulary.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "worst than"?

The correct way to express comparison is to use ""worse than"". "Worst" is a superlative adjective used to describe something that is the most extreme, not to compare two items.

When should I use "worse" versus "worst"?

"Worse" is used to compare two things, while "worst" is used to describe something that is the most extreme out of three or more things. For instance, "This cold is "worse than" the last one", but "That was the worst movie I've ever seen."

What are some alternatives to saying ""worse than""?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "more terrible than", "more unfavorable than", or "inferior to" to convey a similar meaning.

Is "worst than" ever grammatically correct?

No, "worst than" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. The correct comparative form to use is ""worse than"".