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Understanding that "given that" and "granted that" are both used to mark the premise of an argument (or conditions that are assumed to be true), and the actual meaning is almost identical, I have to catch the nuance.

Is there a colloquial difference between them? Is this a difference in register? Is "granted that" literary/academic?

As for the amount of Google hits, "given that" is used about twenty times more.

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Given that X introduces proposition X as a fact which will be a basis of your subsequent discourse. The proposition is ‘given’ before you start your argument.

Given that John is an internationally renowned scholar, I think we may trust his professional judgment.

Granted that X usually concedes proposition X as a fact which your subsequent discourse must overcome.

Granted that John is an internationally renowned scholar, I think that in this case he is mistaken.

Occasionally you will find granted that X used to mean Assuming that you agree that X—in that case, you proceed as with given that X:

We have now surveyed John’professional qualifications. Granted that he is an internationally renowned scholar, I think we are called upon to trust his professional judgment.

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  • I don't see any difference between "granted that" and "given that" from your first and second examples. Can "given that" be used as a reason? -----Like: given her strong sense of social justice, Fiat vehemently protested her party's failure to support a tax decrease.------ Here, her strong sense is the reason for her vehement protest. Commented Jul 16, 2015 at 0:04
  • @Doeser Neither given that nor granted that is used to explain someone else's action; they are used to speak about the judgment which you yourself express in the main clause. The difference between them is, as I say,that given that advances a proposition which supports your judgment, while granted that concedes a proposition which on its face denies your judgment. Commented Jul 16, 2015 at 0:17
  • Is it the same "Granted that John is an internationally renowned scholar, I think that he is mistaken" than "If John is an internationally renowned scholar, I think that he is mistaken"?
    – skan
    Commented Dec 10, 2018 at 19:33
  • @skan No. "Granted that" concedes that John is in fact an internationally renowned scholar. Commented Dec 10, 2018 at 20:03
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I would argue the reverse of your assumption: "granted that" seems to me more awkward and more colloquial than "given that." In particular, "given that" is the standard choice in science and engineering papers; I've never seen "granted that" in an article, a monograph, or a textbook.

In fact, I think I would most likely only use "granted" without "that":

Granted, he is a bit of a boor.

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given that and granted that are both correct. it all depends on the contet of usage. in many legal documents given that ad granted that is used a lot. but in everyday english. owing that is preferably used

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  • I hear "given that" and "granted that" far more often than "owing that".
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Oct 15, 2014 at 18:59

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