The key is to recognize that both „semiannual“ and „semi-annual“ refer to events or actions happening two times a year. The words biannual and biyearly can be synonyms of semiannual, but they can also mean once every two years (every other year). Carbon Collective partners with financial and climate experts to ensure the accuracy of our content. Yes, semiannual and biannual both refer to events that occur twice a year. However, some people may mistakenly interpret biannual as occurring every two years.

Explore more articles

To help clarify that these words can both mean the same thing and still have their separate meanings, here are some example sentences you can use as references. They may also help prepare you for when you encounter this dispute in your own conversations. Knowing when to use the words is only half the battle; we want you to be able to say them properly too.

Biennial meaning

Semiannual (sometimes written as semi-annual), also known as bi-annual, is when an event occurs twice a year, every six months. Semiannual is an adjective that describes something that is paid, reported, published, or otherwise takes place twice each year, typically biannual vs semiannual once every six months. Carbon Collective is the first online investment advisor 100% focused on solving climate change.

• At the end of the day, biannual and semiannual can be used interchangeably.
• Semi-annual and semiannual are exactly the same and can be written either without or without the hyphen.
• She contributes to a semiannual newsletter that updates the community on local events.
• Biennial is often confused with bi-annual, which means the same thing as semi-annual, it is something that happens twice a year.

Biannual vs. Semiannual – What’s the Difference?

Shifting gears, let’s talk about „biennial.“ While „biannual“ and „semiannual“ both refer to events that happen twice a year, „biennial“ is different. The term „biennial“ means something takes place every two years. Breaking it down, „bi“ stands for two, and „ennial“ relates to years. So, if a conference is described as biennial, it’s held once every two years.

More Commonly Confused Words

This dual interpretation highlights the importance of context in understanding these terms. For example, in a British context, one might say, “The council meets biannually,” which could confuse listeners who interpret it as meeting every two years instead of twice a year. Financial statements or reports are frequently published on a quarterly (four times per year) basis.

Semiannual means occurring twice a year, the adverb form is semiannually. Semiannual and Biannual are interchangeable, their definitions are the same. Since semi- means half or part, it will be easy to remember that you only need to wait part of a year before something semiannual happens again.

Therefore, it’s important to clarify usage in specific contexts to avoid confusion. Always consider your audience and regional preferences when choosing which term to use. A company can issue reports on their financial statements semi-annually. For example, if the bond paid the yield annually, the bondholder would receive $100 a year. The main difference between semiannual and biennial is that semiannual refers to something that happens twice a year, while biennial refers to something that happens every two years.

• However, remembering that biannual technically means „twice a year“ and semiannual means „every half year“ is a small but pivotal detail when you are deciding which word to use.
• So, if a conference is described as biennial, it’s held once every two years.
• As mentioned above, ‘Biannual‘ can also refer to something that happens every two years.
• Then check out words that look similar and have the same meaning but are used slightly differently, like preventive and preventative.
• Our work has been directly cited by organizations including MarketWatch, Bloomberg, Axios, TechCrunch, Forbes, NerdWallet, GreenBiz, Reuters, and many others.

An example of semiannual in finance would be a bond that pays the bondholder interest semiannually. This means the bond would make an interest payment twice a year, usually six months apart. So a bondholder would receive the first interest payment in June, for example, and the second payment in December. ABC’s management decides it will distribute a dividend of $0.50 for every share.

I’m an ESL teacher with over 7 years of experience in providing original content. I really like writing educational articles which may help others learn some aspects of English. So, let’s get a clear understanding of these terms and make sure you always use them right.

Since biannual and biennial are the real problem, writer Bryan Garner (2016) recommends that you avoid them entirely, and use every other year instead. In some contexts, “biannual” might imply a slightly less formal tone, while “semiannual” can be more commonly found in technical or business-related communications. ABC’s management decides it will distribute a dividend of $0.50 for every share. A ten-year general obligation bond was issued by Ohio Pty Ltd in January 2019, the bond will pay interest on a semi-annual basis until the maturity of the bond in December 2029.

How ‚Namaste‘ Entered The English Language

Biannual is an adjective that specifies the frequency of occurrence. Sometimes, English has more than one word that refers to the same idea. Other times, very similar words will refer to different ideas, introducing confusion.