Apart or part?
apart is an adverb meaning “Placed separately (in regard to space or time)”; part is a noun meaning “A fraction of a whole”. Use apart as an adverb and part as a noun (part is also an adverb: “Partly; partially; fractionally”). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) part is about 10 times as common as apart.
What is the difference between apart and part?
| apart | part | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | adverb, postposition, adjective | noun, verb, adjective, adverb |
| Meaning | Placed separately (in regard to space or time) Separately, exclusively, not together Excluded from consideration | A fraction of a whole A distinct element of something larger To leave the company of (each other, or someone/something [with with or from]) |
| Example | Consider the two propositions apart | Gaul is divided into three parts |
| Forms | none | parts |
| Pronunciation | /əˈpɑːt/ /əˈpɑɹt/ | /pɑːt/ /pɑɹt/ /pɐːt/ |
| In writing | 60 times per million words | 603 times per million words |
Sources: apart and part in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of apart and part
apart
- 1
Placed separately (in regard to space or time)
- 2
Excluded from consideration
Joking apart, what do you think?
- 3
Exceptional, distinct
In aristocracies, servants are a class apart
- 4
Separately, exclusively, not together
Consider the two propositions apart
- 5
Having been taken apart; disassembled, in pieces
- 6
In or into two or more parts
We took the computer apart and put it back together
- 7
Separate, on the side
- 8
To the side; aside
part
- 1
A fraction of a whole
Gaul is divided into three parts
- 2
To leave the company of (each other, or someone/something [with with or from])
- 3
Fractional; partial
Fred was part owner of the car
- 4
Partly; partially; fractionally
Part finished
- 5
Abbreviation of participle
- 6
A distinct element of something larger
The parts of a chainsaw include the chain, engine, and handle
- 7
To divide in two
to part the curtains
- 8
to a partial degree
My Native American friend is also part German and part French
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, apart or part?
apart appears 60 times per million words; part 603 times per million words.
apart 60 times per million wordspart 603 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search apart vs part?
“apart vs part” is searched about 70 times a month on Google and 10 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“part vs apart”, “apart or part”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.