/kəmˈpɛəɹ ˈæpəlz ən ˈɒɹɪndʒɪz/
English idiom, everyday. To compare or mix up two things that don’t belong together.
Draft Not yet checked by a native English speaker.
How do people use Compare apples and oranges
?
Everyday English, used to push back on an unfair comparison: “You’re comparing apples and oranges.” On its own, “It’s apples and oranges” means the two things can’t be measured against each other. It’s especially common in American English; British speakers also say “chalk and cheese”.
Also said compare apples to oranges, compare apples with oranges, mix apples and oranges
Compare apples and oranges
in real sentences
-
You’re comparing apples and oranges.
Tatoeba, sentence by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
-
You’re trying to compare apples and oranges.
Tatoeba, sentence by Adelpa, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Compare apples and oranges
come from?
English Wiktionary asks for an etymology and has none. Apples and oranges are both round fruit, which is the joke: they look comparable, but you’d judge them by different standards.
Mistakes learners make with Compare apples and oranges
Learners use it for two things that are simply different (“my brother and I are apples and oranges”). It’s about a comparison that doesn’t work; for two very different people British English says “chalk and cheese”.
Other English idioms like Compare apples and oranges
Spot a mistake in Compare apples and oranges
?
Send a correction, or a sentence you’d actually say with it. Everything is read before anything on this page changes.