“Our biennial report comes out each June and December.”
Usage Entry 490 / 1011 60-second read
Biannual vs. Biennial
Twice a year versus every two years.
The comparisoni
“Our biannual report comes out each June and December.”
The ruleii
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BIANNUAL = twice a year. BIENNIAL = every two years.
BIANNUAL means twice a year. BIENNIAL means once every two years. Both cause confusion — specify the actual interval if possible.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
An-nual = yearly (twice: biannual). Enn-ial = years (every two: biennial)."