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common vs ordinary

Both 'common' and 'ordinary' are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Common' is used to describe something that occurs frequently or is widespread, while 'ordinary' is used to describe something that is not special or remarkable.

Last updated: March 31, 2024 • 913 views

common

Correct. 'Common' is used to describe something that occurs frequently or is widespread.

Use 'common' to describe something that is found often or widely distributed.

Examples:

It is common for people to drink coffee in the morning.
This type of bird is common in this region.

Show examples from the web [+]

You and I have common interests.
Capitalist imperialism is our common enemy.
England is our common enemy, sir.
Initiation ritual common in Russian prison gangs.
Strangers aren't too common out here.
We all face a common threat...
Memory loss from grief is quite common.
The IRA and the American Indian Movement had common cause.
This fracture is extremely common in golfers.
Zhang Huike's situation is increasingly common.
My fiancée and mother have finally found common ground.
Blood clots are a common complication.
Adverse reactions are common when starting new drugs.
Actually, diamonds are common as muck.
Nothing wrong except a common bladder infection.
Between them stands a common Sellsword.
Respiratory infections are common with A-T.
Guilt is incredibly common for survivors of suicides.
I realize this is a common enough complaint.
Again, intestinal problems are common.

Alternatives:

frequent
widespread
ubiquitous
prevalent
typical

ordinary

Correct. 'Ordinary' is used to describe something that is not special or remarkable.

Use 'ordinary' to describe something that is not exceptional or remarkable.

Examples:

It was just an ordinary day at work.
The food at that restaurant is quite ordinary.

Show examples from the web [+]

What seems ordinary is actually quite extraordinary.
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.
Mourning Nathan could not be more ordinary.
I mean, an ordinary citizen who does...
Except this is no ordinary fork.
This is no ordinary murder trial.
Anything out of the ordinary triggers the alarm.
But this is no ordinary balloon.
Extraordinary things never happen in simple and ordinary ways.
Nothing extraordinary happens in simple and ordinary ways.
Making everything ordinary too beautiful to bear.
Sheikh Hakam is no ordinary man.
Enrico Fornes is not some ordinary immigrant gang member.
I'm a very ordinary man.
It was just another village to conquer nothing out of the ordinary.
Outside - an ordinary house, inscribed in the landscape in 1966.
Maybe this isn't an ordinary grave.
I've forgotten what an ordinary London postman looks like.
It was an ordinary costume sewn according to directions.
Without the badge, he's an ordinary guy.

Alternatives:

commonplace
average
regular
plain
unremarkable

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