“Fall into the Category” or “Fall under the Category”?

When categorizing items, do you usually say “Fall Into The Category” or “Fall Under The Category”?

We want to know if those expressions mean the same thing and if they’re synonyms. We also want to know if they can serve the same purpose and, if not, which to avoid.

“Fall Into The Category” or “Fall Under The Category”?

“Fall Into The Category” is the classical form to indicate an item is part of a larger group of similar things. “Fall Under The Category” sounds newer, but is intended to serve the same purpose. Some people prefer it to describe things that are under some sort of hierarchical order.

Take a look at some examples below:

• Joe falls into the beginner category, while Jim falls into the intermediate category.
• Joe falls under the beginner category, while Jim falls under the intermediate category.

Each sentence in the example uses the phrases “Fall Into The Category” and “Fall Under The Category” two times. In every instance, both forms work just as well, without any harm to the meaning we’re trying to convey.

That indicates that “Fall Into The Category” and “Fall Under The Category” can be used as synonyms and interchange when necessary.

Fall Into The Category

“Fall Into The Category” is an expression that helps us organize a group of people or things that share similarities and are considered to be in the same category. To say an item “Falls Into The Category” means that it’s part of that group, and should be treated as such.

Take a look at some helpful examples below:

1. We don’t fall into the same category.
2. Linda could not participate in the competition because she didn’t fall into a category.
3. Because of her age, Blanca fell into a different category.
4. The hiring manager said my skills don’t fall into the category he’s looking for.
5. Students usually fall into one of two categories: they’re full-time or part-time students.

“Fall Into a Category” is about comparing and separating items. You should use that expression every time you feel the need to separate things and make sure that they’re treated accordingly.

When it comes to people, you just have to be careful not to objectify an individual. People are divided into categories all the time, we just java to make sure it’s done fairly and respectfully. 

Fall Under The Category

“Fall Under The Category” is an alternate form for “Fall Into The Category”. They mean the same and, as synonyms, can interchange. “Fall Under The Category” seems to be preferred when the category is aforementioned or when the items are organized in a sort of a hierarchical manner.

Take a look at some examples:

1. As I told you, Luke didn’t fall under the aforementioned category.
2. The category included former athletes, and Claudia didn’t fall under a category.
3. The employees fall under four main categories.
4. Anthony fell under a different category, the moment people realized how extensive his skill set is.
5. Right now, you fall under a category. But it can change, especially if you keep progressing.

Which Is Used the Most?

“Fall Into The Category” and “Fall Under The Category” are expressions that have been around for a long time. Which one of them is used more often? Let’s find out by taking a look at the graph from Google Ngram Viewer below.

“Fall Into The Category” is the most common form, which appears with much more frequency. We expected to see that in the graph, because “Fall Into The Category” is considered the classic form, while its counterpart is a variation of it.

“Fall Under a Category” is grammatically correct and acceptable. However, it’s not used as much. The graph shows that it’s been trending up for many years, but it’s still less used when compared to “Fall Into a Category”.

Keep in mind that both forms are correct, and you can choose to use the one you feel more comfortable with.

Final Thoughts

“Fall Into The Category” and “Fall Under The Category” are alternate ways to say that an item is part of a larger group of things that are similar to it. “Fall Into The Category” is the most common one, but both can be used interchangeably.