differ from, differ in, differ with
When differ means “be unlike,” it is followed by the preposition from.
- The twins differ from each other only in height.
When differ means “disagree,” it is followed usually by the preposition with or sometimes by the preposition from.
- I differed with Bill about our bike club’s budget.
- Denzil’s answers to the math questions differed from Samantha’s.
When two subjects are being compared, their elements of difference are introduced by the phrasal verb differ in.
- The east and west coasts of Canada differ greatly in climate.
Copyright notice for Writing Tips Plus
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Search by related themes
Want to learn more about a theme discussed on this page? Click on a link below to see all the pages on the Language Portal of Canada that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in Language Navigator.
- Date modified: