Regard vs. Respect
How to use "in/with regard to" and "with respect to" correctlyThis is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.
In regard to, with regard to, and with respect to are all standard expressions meaning “concerning; with reference to; in connection with.” Avoid variations like “in respect to” (which is fairly common in American English but generally considered nonstandard) and “in regards to”:
in regards to
in respect to
reach a consensus with respect to this issue
reach a consensus in regard to this issue
reach a consensus with regard to this issue
In respect of is also considered acceptable by some authorities as a synonym for these expressions, but it is not widely used in American English.
Related Resources
Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English
List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list
Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage
List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version
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