*Alot or A Lot or Allot | Meaning & Correct Spelling
A lot and allot are pronounced the same, but they have unrelated meanings.
- A lot is used as a pronoun meaning ‘many’ or ‘a great amount’ and an adverb meaning ‘very much’ or ‘often’.
- Allot is a verb meaning ‘assign’ or ‘distribute’.
- Alot is sometimes mistakenly used instead of a lot. However, it isn’t a real word and should be avoided.
| Examples: A lot in a sentence | Examples: Allot in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Javier eats a lot of fruit but not many vegetables. | The president decided to allot more funding to national defense. |
| My cat sleeps a lot. | Students should allot an hour every day to independent study. |
How to use a lot in a sentence
A lot can be used as a pronoun meaning ‘many’ or ‘a large amount’. It can also be used as an adverb meaning ‘often’ or ‘very much’. When used as a pronoun, a lot is often followed by the preposition ‘of’ and a noun indicating what there is a lot of.
Joanne did well on her exams because she studied a lot.
How to use allot in a sentence
Allot is a verb that refers to the act of assigning or distributing something for a particular purpose.
You should allot more time to learning new skills.
Worksheet: Allot vs a lot
You can test your understanding of the difference between ‘allot’ and ‘a lot’ with the worksheet below. Fill in either ‘allot’ or ‘a lot’ in each sentence.
- Karen has ______ of clothes she wants to donate.
- I try to ______ at least one evening each week to learning German.
- Jen used to play tennis ______ before she hurt her wrist.
- The local government has ______ space for a town park.
- If you can ______ a day or two to home repair, you’ll be able to fix ______ of these issues.
- Karen has a lot of clothes she wants to donate.
- ‘A lot’ can be used as a pronoun meaning ‘many’ or ‘a large amount’. It is often followed by the preposition ‘of’ and a noun indicating what there is a lot of.
- I try to allot at least one evening each week to learning German.
- ‘Allot’ is a verb meaning ‘assign’ or ‘distribute’.
- Jen used to play tennis a lot before she hurt her wrist.
- ‘A lot’ can be used as an adverb meaning ‘often’ or ‘very much’.
- The local government has allotted space for a town park.
- ‘Allotted’ is the past simple and past participle of the verb ‘allot’.
- If you can allot a day or two to home repair, you’ll be able to fix a lot of these issues.
- In the first instance, the verb ‘allot’ is correct. In the second instance, the pronoun ‘a lot’ is correct.
Other interesting language articles
If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, common mistakes, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.
Confused words
Definitions
US vs. UK spellings
Frequently asked questions
- What is a synonym for ‘a lot’?
-
There are numerous synonyms and near synonyms for the various meanings of a lot.
A large number or amount (pronoun) To a great extent (adverb) Often (adverb) Many A great deal Consistently Multiple Considerably Constantly Numerous Greatly Continually Several Significantly Frequently Various Very much Regularly Our Paraphrasing Tool can help you find even more synonyms for ‘a lot’.
- Is ‘alot’ a word?
-
People sometimes write ‘alot‘ instead of a lot. However, ‘alot’ is not a real word and should be avoided. A lot is always written as two words.
Scribbr’s Grammar Checker can help ensure your writing is free of errors like ‘alot.’
- Is ‘a lot’ one word or two?
-
A lot (two words) is a pronoun and adverb meaning ‘very much’ or ‘a large amount’. ‘Alot’ (one word) is never correct.
Scribbr’s Grammar Checker can help make sure your writing is free of errors like ‘alot.’
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Ryan, E. (2023, March 14). *Alot or A Lot or Allot | Meaning & Correct Spelling. Scribbr. Retrieved 9 December 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/common-errors/alot/
