"More than" and "over" mean the same thing with numbers in modern English (more than 100 = over 100). The distinction is REGISTER: "over" is more informal; "more than" is preferred in formal and scientific English.
MORE THAN: comparative indicating surpassing a limit or quantity. (1) With NUMBERS (formal): "More than 500 employees attended the event." Preferred in academic, formal journalistic, and scientific texts. (2) With ADJECTIVES/ADVERBS (comparative of superiority): "She is more than capable of leading the project." "The results were more than satisfactory." In this second use (comparative with adjectives), MORE THAN cannot be replaced by OVER. "She is over capable" = INCORRECT. MORE THAN + adjective = exclusive use of MORE THAN.
The clinical study involved more than two thousand participants across twelve countries and ran for a period of thirty-six months.
More than seventy percent of the survey respondents indicated that flexible working arrangements were a primary factor in their decision to remain with the company.
The restructuring affected more than three hundred positions across four business units and required a phased transition period of eighteen months.
OVER meaning "more than": preposition indicating surpassing a numerical limit. "Over 500 employees attended" = more than 500 attended (more common colloquial and informal use). In colloquial and informal journalistic English, OVER and MORE THAN are interchangeable with numbers. The American AP Stylebook (the bible of Anglo-Saxon journalism) since 2014 accepts OVER as a synonym for MORE THAN with numbers, ending decades of prescriptive debate. OVER also has other uses: (1) POSITION (above): "the bridge over the river." (2) DURATION (during): "over the past five years." (3) MOVEMENT (above): "she jumped over the fence." With numbers: OVER = informal; MORE THAN = formal.
Over half of the new subscribers in Q1 came from referral campaigns, confirming that word-of-mouth remains the most cost-effective acquisition channel.
The platform has been downloaded over eight million times since its launch, with the strongest adoption in the 25-to-34 age demographic.
Over the past decade, the company has expanded its distribution network to cover over forty markets across Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.
Common mistake
Classic errors: (1) "She is over qualified" = she is OVERQUALIFIED (one single concept). Different from "more than qualified." "She is more than qualified" = she has more than enough qualifications. (2) "Over" to modify degree adjectives: "The project was over complex" = INCORRECT. Correct: "The project was more than complex" or "overly complex." OVER does not directly modify adjectives (in that context use OVERLY or MORE THAN). (3) The prescriptive distinction: in formal and academic texts, always use MORE THAN with numbers. "Over 500 employees" = informal/journalistic. "More than 500 employees" = formal/academic.
Trick to remember it
The CONTEXT TEST: FORMAL text (report, academic paper, legal document)? = MORE THAN with numbers. INFORMAL text (news article, press release, social media, everyday speech)? = OVER or MORE THAN (interchangeable). Does an adjective follow the expression? = only MORE THAN (not "over capable" — "more than capable"). OVER with temporal duration ("over the past five years") = correct and does not equal MORE THAN in that context. When OVER means "during" (temporal) or "above" (spatial), it cannot be replaced by MORE THAN.
Quick rule
More than = formal with numbers + use with adjectives ("more than capable"). Over = informal/journalistic with numbers. With adjectives, only "more than" (not "over capable"). "Over the past X years" = temporal, does not equal "more than."
Did you know?
The prescriptive battle between OVER and MORE THAN to indicate a quantity exceeding a number was one of the longest debates in Anglo-Saxon journalism. For decades, the AP Stylebook (the most influential style guide in North American press) insisted that MORE THAN was the only correct form with numbers and that using OVER to indicate quantity was an error. This was one of the most cited and debated rules in American newsrooms. In 2014, the AP Stylebook revised its position and announced that OVER would be accepted as a synonym for MORE THAN with numbers, provoking a mixed reaction among journalists: some celebrated it as a healthy descriptivist decision; others lamented it as the end of a useful distinction. The AP decision was a milestone in normative linguistics in English journalism.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The clinical trial enrolled _____ twelve hundred patients across five hospital networks in three countries over a two-year period.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The acquisition gave the company access to a distribution network spanning _____ forty countries, significantly accelerating their international growth strategy.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
More than = formal with numbers + use with adjectives ("more than capable"). Over = informal/journalistic with numbers. With adjectives, only "more than" (not "over capable"). "Over the past X years" = temporal, does not equal "more than."
Classic errors: (1) "She is over qualified" = she is OVERQUALIFIED (one single concept). Different from "more than qualified." "She is more than qualified" = she has more than enough qualifications. (2) "Over" to modify degree adjectives: "The project was over complex" = INCORRECT. Correct: "The project was more than complex" or "overly complex." OVER does not directly modify adjectives (in that context use OVERLY or MORE THAN). (3) The prescriptive distinction: in formal and academic texts, always use MORE THAN with numbers. "Over 500 employees" = informal/journalistic. "More than 500 employees" = formal/academic.
The CONTEXT TEST: FORMAL text (report, academic paper, legal document)? = MORE THAN with numbers. INFORMAL text (news article, press release, social media, everyday speech)? = OVER or MORE THAN (interchangeable). Does an adjective follow the expression? = only MORE THAN (not "over capable" — "more than capable"). OVER with temporal duration ("over the past five years") = correct and does not equal MORE THAN in that context. When OVER means "during" (temporal) or "above" (spatial), it cannot be replaced by MORE THAN.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy