Other vs another
The short answer
Another is one more from an open set: another coffee, another two days. The other is the remaining one from a closed set: I have two brothers; the other lives abroad. Other with no article goes with plurals, and others stands alone when the noun is dropped.
At a glance
Another or The other(s)?
| Compare | AnotherOne more, from an open set. Singular. | The other(s)The remaining one, or ones. Closed set. |
|---|---|---|
| How many are left | Plenty: the set is open | A known number: the set is closed |
| Number | Singular only | Singular or plural |
| Written as | one word: another | two words: the other |
| Plural, no article | Not possible | other people, other options |
| Standing alone | another one | the others, others |
| With numbers | another two weeks | the other three |
How to choose
Ask these, in order
- 1
Do you mean one more, with plenty available?
Another. It is literally an plus other, which is why it is singular.
Would you like another biscuit?
One more from an open supply.
- 2
Is the set closed, and are you naming what is left?
The other, or the others for plural.
One of the twins is here; the other is at home.
Two exist, so the second is fully identified.
- 3
Is it a plural with nothing specific in mind?
Other, with no article at all.
We should look at other options.
Some unspecified alternatives.
- 4
Have you dropped the noun?
Add one or -s: another one, the other one, the others, others.
This one’s broken / have you got another?
Another can stand alone; other cannot.
Side by side
Each one, in full
Another
One more, from an open set. Singular.
Another is an and other fused into one word, which explains everything about it: it is singular, it takes no further article, and it means one more from a supply that has not been counted.
It also works with a number or a plural quantity treated as a block: another two weeks, another fifty euros. That looks like a violation of the singular rule and is not: the quantity behaves as a single unit.
Let’s give it another try.
One more attempt.
We’ll need another three chairs.
Three treated as one block.
That’s another matter entirely.
A different one, from an open set.
The other, other and others
The remaining one, or ones. Closed set.
The other identifies what remains from a known set: I’ve read one of her novels but not the other. The definite article is doing the work: it says the set is closed and the remainder is identifiable.
Without the article, other goes only with plurals and uncountables: other people, other information. And when the noun is dropped, the plural becomes others: some agreed, others didn’t. Other cannot stand alone.
Two of them arrived; the others are stuck in traffic.
A closed set, the rest identified.
Have you got any other colours?
Plural, no article.
Some people like it, others don’t.
Others, because the noun is dropped.
Mistakes to avoid
What learners actually get wrong
Would you like an other coffee?
Would you like another coffee?
Another is one word. It already contains the article, so writing an other is both a spelling error and a doubled article.
I have two sisters. Another lives in Cork.
I have two sisters. The other lives in Cork.
With only two, the set is closed and the second is fully identified, so it takes the other. Another would suggest an unlimited supply of sisters.
Some agreed and other didn’t.
Some agreed and others didn’t.
When the noun is dropped, the plural takes -s. Other cannot stand alone as a pronoun, which is the one thing that separates it from others.
The others people were late.
The other people were late.
Others is only used when the noun is absent. With a noun following, it stays other, however plural the noun is.
Questions
Asked and answered
- Is “the other day” about a closed set?
- No. It is an idiom meaning recently, a few days ago, and the logic of the determiner does not apply. The other night and the other week work the same way. Treat them as fixed phrases rather than examples of the rule.
- What is the difference between “others” and “the others”?
- The article again. Others means some unspecified people or things; the others means the remaining ones from a set you have already introduced. Some left early, others stayed versus some left early, the others stayed, the second implies you know exactly who.
- Can another go with plural nouns?
- Only when the plural is a measured block: another two hours, another few days, another twenty pounds. With a plain plural, another books. It is impossible, because another contains a singular article.