When Does One Use "among" Instead Of "amongst"?

The words "among" and "amongst" can, in general, be used interchangeably in most contexts. Nevertheless, some people do differentiate between the two and may claim that the word "among" should be applied to contexts when people, or things are stationary (they remain in one place), while "amongst" is used more frequently for people or things that are in a state of motion. In this case, you would use the term "amongst" if it relates to the verb in a given sentence. For example, you can say that you "searched for a photograph amongst piles of documents, as you sat in a room among bins and boxes."

Despite this differentiation, most linguists will argue that the two words can be used in any context. It is, however, much more common to simply use "among," rather than "amongst" in modern, colloquial speech. One may be more inclined to use the latter in formal letters or essays.

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