noun · formal
proportion
UK/prəˈpɔː.ʃən/US/prəˈpɔːr.ʃən/pro·POR·tion
the part of a total number or amount
Examples
“A large proportion of students prefer studying online.”
“The proportion of households with cars increased between 2000 and 2010.”
“A small proportion of respondents reported no change in income.”
Band 8 sentence
“A substantial proportion of the sample indicated a preference for online shopping, representing nearly 40% of respondents.”
Collocations
- a large/small proportion of
- proportion rises/falls
- proportion among
Word family
Common mistakes
proportion people→proportion of people
A large proportion of the students was→A large proportion of the students were
The proportion increased to 5 percent points→The proportion increased by 5 percentage points
Say it for a higher band
5part→6portion→7+proportion
Synonyms
fraction
ratio
Easily confused
percentage
“The percentage of graduates who found work within six months rose to 72%.”
ratio
“The ratio of men to women in the class is 2:1.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Comparing proportions
Learn it with its set