English Café: Different from? Different to? Different than?

Advanced Details: Different from? Different to? Different than?

Different from is best!

The adjective different means “not the same.” When we compare two or more items, it is usually followed by from. We also use different to, or different than, especially in speaking: Adam is so different to/than his brother, Robert.

The biggest difference between these terms is between “different than” (standard in American English) and “different to” (standard in British English). Meanwhile, “different from” is common in both dialects. Generally then, you’ll want to use “different from” in most of your writing because it is the most widely used term.