similar

Similar of/to/like/with/as – Which is the correct preposition with SIMILAR?

“Similar TO” is the correct phrase in English. “To” is the dependent preposition that goes with “similar”.

You look similar to your sister.

Fanta is similar to orange juice.

Similar To

It is called a dependent preposition when we use “to” with “similar”.

This means that the preposition “to” always comes after “similar”. 

There are many different examples of dependent prepositions like:

Talk to 

Get married to 

In love with

Forced to 

Try to repeat “similar to”, “similar to”, “similar to”, “similar to” many times so that you remember when you use ” similar” you also need “to” 

Similar With

“Similar with” is not a common construction in English. 

The correct preposition is “to”

That sweater is similar to mine.

That sweater is similar with mine.

Similar like 

“Similar like” is not a common construction in English. 

The correct preposition is “to”

“Like” might seem like a good word to use with “similar” but if you are comparing two things you should use the preposition “to”.

Those arguments are similar to mine.

Those arguments are similar like mine.

Similar of

“Similar of” is probably the most common mistake I have heard in English. 

The reason for this mistake is that many speakers of Romance languages(French, Spanish Portuguese etc) would use “de” in this situation and “de” can translate into “of”.

“Similar of” is incorrect in English.

Of Similar

“Of similar” is correct English. It is usually used in more formal English.

The judge and the prosecutor are of similar backgrounds.

The tomatoes are of similar texture.

Notice that you do not need to use “to” with “of similar”

Similar as or to

“Similar to” is correct and “similar as” is incorrect”

When you make a comparison with the word “similar” you need to use “to”.

Maybe, there is confusion because we use “the same as”

That coat is similar to mine.

That coat is the same as mine.

Similar to vs Similarly to

Similar to and similarly to are both correct depending on the context.

Similar is an adjective so it is more commonly used to compare nouns.

The door is similar to the gate.

Similarly is an adverb so it is used to compare verbs. 

He plays the guitar similarly to his brother.

This construction is not common in modern English but “similarly” is often used when you want to compare a situation you have just mentioned.

The woman has a real eye for design, similarly, she can also see flaws in patterns. 

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