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'No matter' is followed by an interrogative clause; 'regardless of' is followed by a noun or gerund.
Side-by-side comparison
"No matter" is followed by a clause with "what", "how", "when", "where", or "who". It expresses that something does not change regardless of the condition.
No matter how tired I am, I always read for a while before going to sleep.
She never gives up on a project, no matter how difficult things get.
No matter what the weather is like, he goes for his morning run every single day.
"Regardless" stands alone, usually at the end or before "of". It is more formal and simpler to use because it does not require a full clause after it.
Regardless of the result, you should be proud of how hard you worked.
The new rule applies to everyone regardless of their seniority or experience.
She decided to go ahead regardless of what her friends thought about the idea.
Common mistake
"No matter the cost" is colloquial; in formal English "no matter" requires an interrogative word: "no matter what the cost is." For a direct noun, use "regardless of the cost." (And "irregardless" is nonstandard, use "regardless.")
Trick to remember it
- •Simple noun after? Only "regardless of." Interrogative word + clause after? "No matter" or "regardless of" (interchangeable).
- •Quick check: "regardless of the outcome" always works; "no matter the outcome" is informal/incomplete.
Quick rule
- •"No matter" + what/who/how/when/where + clause.
- •"Regardless of" + noun or interrogative clause.
- •For a simple noun: only "regardless of." "Irregardless" is not standard English.
Did you know?
"Irregardless" is possibly the most famous non-word in English. The first documented appearance in print is from 1912 in an Indiana newspaper. It generated so much debate that in 2020, when Merriam-Webster included it as "nonstandard" in a new edition, it sparked controversy on social media, many interpreted it mistakenly as an "official acceptance." The debate perfectly illustrates the tension between prescriptive English (what the rules say SHOULD be used) and descriptive English (what people ACTUALLY use). "Irregardless" is an example of what linguists call "hypercorrection through contamination": the speaker adds "ir-" to emphasize negation, without realizing the result is a double negation prefix.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
_____ of what they say, she's not going to change her mind.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
_____ what the weather is like, we're going camping.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Although' introduces a surprising concession; 'whereas' introduces a direct contrast between two opposing facts.
'Despite' and 'in spite of' are synonyms meaning 'in spite of', but 'despite' is more concise.
'Even if' is used for hypotheticals or uncertain conditions; 'even though' is used for real, established facts.
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy