Cool MateExcited about vs Looking forward to
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Excited about
Top 2,000 (common)
Looking forward to
Top 1,000 (very common)
Most common: Looking forward to
| Excited about | Looking forward to | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //ɪkˈsaɪtɪd əˈbaʊt//🇺🇸 //ɪkˈsaɪtɪd əˈbaʊt// | 🇬🇧 //ˈlʊkɪŋ ˈfɔːwəd tə//🇺🇸 //ˈlʊkɪŋ ˈfɔrd tə// |
| Meaning | happy and eager about something | To be excited about something that will happen in the future. |
| Example | She is really excited about the concert next week. | I'm looking forward to the concert next week. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 2,000 (common) | Top 1,000 (very common) |
| Collocations | get excited about, be excited about, sound excited about, look excited about, feel excited about | looking forward to hearing from you, looking forward to the weekend, looking forward to meeting you |
| Antonyms | disinterested, indifferent | dreading, avoiding, fearing |
| Common mistakes | Omitting 'about' after 'excited', Using 'exciting' instead of 'excited', Confusing 'excited' with 'exciting' | 'Looking forward to' is not followed by a noun without 'to' (e.g., 'looking forward to the meeting')., Incorrectly using 'look forward' without 'to'., Confusing with 'looking forward for'. |
| Usage notes | Commonly used to express enjoyment or anticipation. More appropriate in casual conversation than in formal contexts. | Used to express anticipation. Common in both spoken and written contexts; more formal in written communication. |
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Frequently asked questions: Excited about vs Looking forward to
What's the difference between Excited about and Looking forward to?
Excited about: happy and eager about something Looking forward to: To be excited about something that will happen in the future.
Which is more common: Excited about and Looking forward to?
Looking forward to is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Excited about: She is really excited about the concert next week. Looking forward to: I'm looking forward to the concert next week.
Can I use Excited about and Looking forward to interchangeably?
Not always. Excited about and Looking forward to 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.