Cool MateImportant vs That's significant
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Important
Top 1,000 (very common)A1adjective
That's significant
Top 2,000 (common)
Most common: Important
| Important | That's significant | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/ɪmˈpɔːtnt/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ɪmˈpɔːrtnt/"]/ | 🇬🇧 //ðæts sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt//🇺🇸 //ðæts sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt// |
| Meaning | Something that matters a lot. | That is important or meaningful. |
| Example | It's important to drink enough water every day. | This discovery is significant for our understanding of history. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | A1 | - |
| Part of speech | adjective | |
| Collocations | be, seem, sound, extremely, fairly, very, for, to, be, seem, sound, extremely, fairly, very, for, to | significant impact, significant change, significant improvement, significant difference, significant findings |
| Antonyms | unimportant, trivial, insignificant | - |
| Common mistakes | Confusing with 'unimportant'—'not important' is the opposite., Using with nouns incorrectly—'important' only describes nouns, not verbs., Overusing—try varying language with synonyms to improve vocabulary. | Confused with 'significance' - remember it's an expression, not a noun., Overusing in casual conversations; better for important topics., Misplacing emphasis; should stress 'significant' rather than 'that'. |
| Usage notes | Use 'important' for things that have significance or impact. It's appropriate in formal and informal contexts, but in very casual conversation, words like 'big deal' might be more appropriate. | Use in contexts where you want to emphasize importance or relevance. Neutral register makes it suitable for both informal and formal discussions. |
See it in real clips
Frequently asked questions: Important vs That's significant
What's the difference between Important and That's significant?
Important: Something that matters a lot. That's significant: That is important or meaningful.
Which is more common: Important and That's significant?
Important is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Important: It's important to drink enough water every day. That's significant: This discovery is significant for our understanding of history.
Can I use Important and That's significant interchangeably?
Not always. Important and That's 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.