Considerable vs Significant

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Considerable

Top 2,000 (common) B2 adjective

Significant

Top 1,000 (very common) B2 adjective

Most common: Significant

	Considerable	Significant
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 /["/kənˈsɪdərəbl/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/kənˈsɪdərəbl/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/"]/
Meaning	A lot; significant in amount or degree.	Important or meaning a lot.
Example	The project wasted a considerable amount of time and money.	The research showed a significant improvement in patient outcomes.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 2,000 (common)	Top 1,000 (very common)
CEFR level	B2	B2
Part of speech	adjective	adjective
Collocations	considerable impact, considerable effort, considerable amount	be, prove, become, extremely, fairly, very, for, to
Antonyms	insignificant, minor, inconsequential	insignificant, trivial, minor
Common mistakes	Confused with 'considering' as a verb instead of 'considerable' as an adjective., Using 'considerable' with uncountable nouns only, instead of also with countable., Omitting it when it can emphasize significant amounts.	Confusing 'significant' with 'significance'., Using 'significant' as a noun instead of an adjective., Overusing 'significant' in casual speaking.
Usage notes	Use 'considerable' when discussing something important or substantial. It's appropriate in both written and spoken language, but avoid using it in very casual contexts.	Used in academic and formal contexts to indicate importance. Avoid in very casual conversations; instead, use simpler words like 'big' or 'important'.

See it in real clips

Succession › S1 E1

It's be too considerable of a space, but is there an angle there, perhaps?

Considerable

But of all these anomalies, the most significant is this:

But what is significant is, I felt the touch of God.

But of all these anomalies, the most significant is this:

But what is significant is, I felt the touch of God.

Significant

Frequently asked questions: Considerable vs Significant

What's the difference between Considerable and Significant?

Considerable: A lot; significant in amount or degree. Significant: Important or meaning a lot.

Which is more common: Considerable and Significant?

Significant is the most common in everyday English.

Are Considerable and Significant the same CEFR level?

Considerable: B2, Significant: B2 on the CEFR scale.

What part of speech are Considerable and Significant?

Considerable: adjective, Significant: adjective.

Can you show an example of each?

Considerable: The project wasted a considerable amount of time and money. Significant: The research showed a significant improvement in patient outcomes.

Can I use Considerable and Significant interchangeably?

Not always. Considerable and Significant 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.