"Both," "Either" and "Neither": What's the Difference? [Updated]

Table of Contents

Although "both," "either" and "neither" are words most English students know, they may not understand the small differences in usage that make each unique.

To help you better understand what these words mean and how they're used, this article will cover how they differ in meaning, grammar and levels of formality.

Differences in Meaning

We use "both," "either" and "neither" when we talk about a set of two things.

“Both” means 2 of 2

We use "both" when there is a set of two things and we want to refer to all of them.

For example, imagine someone asks you if you want a cat or a dog. That is a set of two options. But if you want a cat and a dog, you can use "both."

Do you want a cat or a dog?

Both!

Here are some more examples with "both."

Cheese and ice cream are both made of milk.

Cheese is made of milk. Ice cream is made of milk too.

Both of my parents read a lot.

My mother reads a lot. My father reads a lot too.

I like both tea and coffee.

I like tea. I also like coffee.

“Either” means 1 of 2

We use "either" when there is a set of two things and we want to refer to only one of them. For example, if you want "either" a cat or a dog, you want a cat or you want a dog. Any option is fine, but only one of them.

Do you want a cat or a dog?

Either. I like them equally.

Here are some more examples.

She wants to learn either French or Spanish.

She has two options (French and Spanish). She will pick one.

Either he doesn't know or he doesn't care.

There are two possibilities ("he doesn't know" and "he doesn't care"). One of them is correct.

“Neither” means 0 of 2

We use "neither" when there is a set of two things and we don't want to refer to either of those things. You can think of "neither" as "not either" or "not one or the other."

So if you do not want a cat and you do not want a dog, you can say that you want "neither."

Do you want a cat or a dog?

Neither. I want a snake.

Here are some pictures to help you understand how "neither" compares to "either."

Either

Neither

Here are some example sentences.

Neither of my parents watches TV.

My mother does not watch TV. My father also does not watch TV.

I neither smoke nor drink.

I do not smoke. I also do not drink.

“Either” can sometimes be replaced with “both”

Sometimes, "either" can be replaced with "both." For example, if someone asks you, "Do you want tea or coffee?" and you don't mind which one they give you, you could reply with:

"Either is fine."
"Both are fine."

Although both responses mean the same thing, native English speakers have slightly different pictures in their mind when they say them.

"Both are fine."

"Either is fine."

For example, here are some additional sentence pairs that mean the same thing.

Both	Either
There are good restaurants on both sides of the street.	There are good restaurants on either side of the street.
"Hello" and "Hi" mean the same thing. You can use both of them in conversation.	"Hello" and "Hi" mean the same thing. You can use either of them in conversation.

However, "either" and "both" are not interchangeable when "either" refers specifically to only one of two things. For example, imagine there are two people, Raj and Ann. Only Ann speaks Japanese. If you asked them:

"Do either of you speak Japanese?", the answer would be "Yes," because one of them speaks it (Ann).
"Do both of you speak Japanese?", the answer would be "No," because only one of them speaks it — not both of them.

Differences in Grammar

“both/and,” “either/or,” “neither/nor”

"Both," "neither" and "either" are all used with different conjunctions (words that connect sentences and phrases).

I want both a dog and a cat.
I want either a dog or a cat.
I want neither a dog nor a cat.

In particular, pay attention to "neither/nor." While you will hear native English speakers use "neither/or" in informal situations, remember that in formal writing, it's better to use "neither" with "nor."

“Both” is normally used with positive verbs

If you want to say "both/not," use "neither" instead.

I have two pets and neither of them are snakes.

~~Both of my pets are not snakes.~~

Neither of my children look like me.

~~Both of my children do not look like me.~~

If you want to say "not/both," say "not/either" instead.

I was invited to two parties, but couldn't go to either of them.

~~I was invited to two parties, but could not go to both of them.~~

“Either” and “neither” are used with singular nouns

The noun that follows "both" is always plural. However, the noun that comes after "either" and "neither" is singular.

For example, below are some possible responses to "Are you free to meet Monday or Tuesday?" Notice that the noun "day" is plural after "both" but singular after "either" and "neither."

Both	Either and Neither
Both days work for me.	Either day works for me. Neither day works for me.

However, remember that when you use "either of" or "neither of," the noun is plural. Why? Because in those cases, you're referring to the set of things instead of just one part of the set.

Either of those days work for me.
Neither of those days work for me.

Differences in Formality

“Neither/nor” can sound formal

Unlike "both/and" and "either/or," "neither/nor" sounds formal. This is why you will rarely hear native English speakers say it in a conversation.

Here are some other ways to say "neither/nor" sentences so they sound more relaxed and informal.

Formal	Informal
His shirt was neither black nor white.	His shirt wasn't black or white.
I want neither a cat nor a dog.	I don't want either a cat or a dog.
Neither Jake nor Jess speak Spanish.	Jake doesn't speak Spanish and Jess doesn't either.
	Jake doesn't speak Spanish and neither does Jess.

Your Turn

Below are some sentences that can use "both," "either" or "neither." Try to fill in the blanks with the right word. To help you out, here's a chart with a summary of the differences.

Both	2 of 2	I want both a cat and a dog.
Either	1 of 2	I want either a cat or a dog.
Neither	0 of 2	I want neither a cat nor a dog.

This novel is _____ interesting and easy to read.
I hope ____ of you pass the exam.
Do _____ of them know about the new changes?
I haven't met _____ of my neighbors.
I _____ like nor hate cats.

For more practice, try our grammar lessons on these words, then book a lesson with an Engoo tutor and try using them in a real conversation!

what's the difference