Cool MateAcross vs Over
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Across
Top 1,000 (very common)A1preposition
Over
High-frequency chunkA1preposition
| Across | Over | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/əˈkrɒs/"]/🇺🇸 /["/əˈkrɔːs/"]/ | 🇬🇧 /["/ˈəʊvə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ˈəʊvər/"]/ |
| Meaning | From one side to the other side. | above or higher than something. |
| Example | We walked across the bridge to get to the other side. | The cat jumped over the fence. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | High-frequency chunk |
| CEFR level | A1 | A1 |
| Part of speech | preposition | preposition |
| Collocations | walk across, run across, look across, spread across, travel across | over the moon, over time, over and over |
| Antonyms | behind, away, close | under, beneath, below |
| Common mistakes | Confused with 'on' for location., Using 'across' without an object., Mixing up 'across' and 'through'. | Confused with 'above' in some contexts., Using 'over' when 'more than' is meant, e.g., 'over 10 dollars' instead of 'more than 10 dollars'., Mixing up 'over' with 'across' when indicating movement. |
| Usage notes | Used to describe movement from one side to another. It's appropriate in both written and spoken contexts. Avoid using 'across' in very formal writing where other prepositions may be preferred. | Used to indicate position, movement, or excess. Can denote physical position (e.g., the bird flew over the house) or metaphorical situations (e.g., over the limit). Avoid in very formal writing. |
Frequently asked questions: Across vs Over
What's the difference between Across and Over?
Across: From one side to the other side. Over: above or higher than something.
Are Across and Over the same CEFR level?
Across: A1, Over: A1 on the CEFR scale.
Can I use Across and Over interchangeably?
Not always. Across and Over are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.