• 3-minute read
• 9th October 2015

Word Choice: Dependent vs. Dependant

It was already easy to mix up the similarly-spelled words ‘dependent’ and ‘dependant’. But then our American friends came along and made things even more confusing by spelling both words the same!

However, here in Australia and elsewhere in the world, we use both ‘dependent’ and ‘dependant’. It’s therefore important to learn the difference between them, especially in academic writing.

Dependent (Adjective)

The adjective ‘dependent’ (spelled with an ‘e’) means to ‘rely on’ or ‘be determined by’. Thus we might say things like:

Since I broke my leg, I’ve been dependent on my friends.

Whether Hudson went out was dependent on finishing his work.

The word ‘dependent’ is also commonly used when describing addiction (sometimes called a ‘dependency’):

For years now, Isla’s brother had been dependent on alcohol.

In a grammatical context, a ‘dependent clause’ is a group of words with a subject and a verb, but which doesn’t express a complete thought. For instance, the first part of the following sentence (‘Whenever I dance’) is a dependent adverbial clause:

Whenever I dance, I fall over.

A dependent clause is ‘dependent’ because it’s incomplete and therefore relies on something else in its use.

Dependant (Noun)

In Australian and New Zealand English, the noun ‘dependant’ refers to a person who relies on the support (particularly financial support) of others, such as children or the infirm:

Childcare grants are available to students with dependants.

A ‘dependant’ is thus someone who is dependent.

American English

You have to admire the American urge for simplification. By choosing to spell the verb and noun forms of ‘dependent’ the same way (with an ‘e’ rather than an ‘a’), they have instantly eliminated the need to pick between the two.

It’s therefore important to remember this difference when reading texts written in American English. Likewise, if writing for an American audience, you should use ‘dependent’ for both verb and noun forms.

Dependent or Dependant?

The only thing you have to remember here is that the noun (i.e. somebody who depends on someone else) is ‘dependant’ and the adjective is ‘dependent’.

The more common of these two words is ‘dependent’, which is used when describing any conditional situation (i.e. when one state of affairs depends upon the occurrence of another).

Even if you understand these words, their similarity written down means it’s fairly easy to overlook mistakes. This is why it never hurts to have a professional check your work before handing in, so try sending a 500-word sample to Proofed for free today.