Cool MateEmpty vs There's nothing there
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Empty
Top 1,000 (very common)A2adjective
There's nothing there
Top 5,000 (fairly common)
Most common: Empty
| Empty | There's nothing there | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/ˈempti/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ˈempti/"]/ | 🇬🇧 //ðɛrz ˈnʌθɪŋ ðɛr//🇺🇸 //ðɛrz ˈnʌθɪŋ ðɛr// |
| Meaning | Having nothing inside it. | It means that there is no thing or no one present. |
| Example | The box was empty, so I decided to fill it with toys. | When I looked inside the box, I realized there's nothing there. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | Top 5,000 (fairly common) |
| CEFR level | A2 | - |
| Part of speech | adjective | |
| Collocations | appear, be, feel, completely, entirely, quite, of, appear, be, feel, completely, entirely, quite, of | there's nothing wrong, there's nothing to see, there's nothing left |
| Antonyms | full, occupied, loaded | - |
| Common mistakes | Using 'emptied' instead of 'empty' for describing a current state., Saying 'an emptyness' instead of 'emptiness' when referring to the state of being empty. | Using in overly formal contexts where a specific explanation is needed., Confusing with 'There is something there' when indicating absence., Misplacing the phrase in the sentence structure, e.g. 'There is nothing there is...' |
| Usage notes | Use 'empty' to describe physical spaces, containers, or feelings. It may not be appropriate for formal writing when referring to more abstract concepts like 'empty promises'. | Commonly used to point out absence in a specific context; can be literal or metaphorical. Generally appropriate in most conversations. |
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Frequently asked questions: Empty vs There's nothing there
What's the difference between Empty and There's nothing there?
Empty: Having nothing inside it. There's nothing there: It means that there is no thing or no one present.
Which is more common: Empty and There's nothing there?
Empty is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Empty: The box was empty, so I decided to fill it with toys. There's nothing there: When I looked inside the box, I realized there's nothing there.
Can I use Empty and There's nothing there interchangeably?
Not always. Empty and There's nothing there 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.