With or In Regard — Using the Accurate Grammar

Is it with regard to or in regard to? What’s the difference between with regard to and with regards to?

With Regard To or In Regard To?

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If you can’t decide between using “with regard to” or “in regard to,” we have some good news for you. Both phrases mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably without any problems!

Both in regard to and with regard to have the same meaning as phrases such as “regarding,” “concerning,” and “on the subject of.”

Let’s take a look at an example to have a clearer picture.

  • This mail is a reply in regard to our previous correspondence.
  • With regard to our phone call yesterday, I think we should carry on with the deal.
  • And regarding your proposition, we have to sleep on it before making a final decision.

For all three sentences above, you can change the phrase with its alternatives and the meaning will stay the same! So you can write with either of these three alternatives without any issues.

In Regard To vs. In Regards To

People may say “in regards to” but the proper phrase is singular: “in regard to.” In regards to isn’t grammatically correct.

The confusion stems from another phrase, including regard, namely, the phrase “send my regards.” 

It isn’t grammatically correct to send a regard (singular) in the English language. As such, it has led some people to use the phrase “in regards to.”

Below you may find the accurate way to use both of these phrases in daily life:

  • It’s so good to run into you like this. Please send my regards to your family!
  • In regard to the recent developments, we have decided to set an emergency shareholders’ meeting.

When to Use With Regard To or In Regard To?

These two phrases are useful for introducing the main topic or adding additional information to a topic.

However, they are considered too wordy by many people. Instead of using with regard to or in regard to, using a one-word alternative should be preferred, such as the word “regarding.”

The Final Regard: As Regards

Although not commonly used, there is also the phrase “as regards.” It effectively does the same thing as previous alternatives. 

However, since we use “regard” as a verb this time, the “s” in the end is grammatically correct

As always, let’s take a look at an example:

  • As regards the dinner, we are going to have to cancel that.

Pam is an expert grammarian with years of experience teaching English, writing and ESL Grammar courses at the university level. She is enamored with all things language and fascinated with how we use words to shape our world.

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