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Is it wrong to write "different than" instead of "different from"?

Several readers raised that question after reading this sentence in one of my recent columns: "When your grandmother uttered these sentences 60 years ago, they meant something quite different than they do today."

That brought a response from Kay Davidson, a publications editor at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut: "I was taught that correct usage requires 'different from,'" she wrote. "But the usage guide 'An Index to English' says that if 'different' is followed by a clause and using 'from' creates an awkward sentence, 'different than' is permissible."

Will the Word Guy make another Houdini-like escape through a linguistic loophole? Let's see...

Most language commentators agree that in most cases, "different" should be followed by "from," not "than." That's because "different" is a word of contrast, and "than" is a word of comparison.

Thus, we should write, "Milan is different from Florence," not "Milan is different than Florence."

But as Kay suggests, "different than" is preferred before clauses when "different from" leads to awkward wording.

Consider this tortuous sentence: Mildred found deep-sea diving in the Indian Ocean much different from what it was in the Atlantic Ocean.

A smoother way of writing this sentence would be to replace "from what" with "than," i.e., Mildred found deep-sea diving in the Indian Ocean much different than it was in the Atlantic Ocean.

Likewise, I could have written "When your grandmother uttered these sentences 60 years ago, they meant something quite different from what they do today."

But I decided to break the rules for the sake of simplicity and wrote, "they meant something quite different than they do today."

Now you try it. Would you select "different from" or "different than" in each of these sentences?

1. Our new apartment is a lot different FROM our old apartment, OR Our new apartment is a lot different THAN our old apartment.

2. The situation is a lot different FROM what it was before, OR The situation is a lot different THAN it was before.

3. The management team has a different goal FROM the one we have, OR The management team has a different goal THAN we have.

4. The latest version is no different THAN any of the previous versions, OR The latest version is no different FROM any of the previous versions.

Answers: 1. from 2. than ('from what' is awkward) 3. than ('from the one' is awkward). 4. from

As Houdini discovered, it pays to be flexible.

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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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