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As the question title suggests, which one of the following is correct?

  1. I've sent the file, see if it's applicable to you
  2. I've sent the file, see if it's applicable for you

Intuitively, I feel #1 to be correct, but #2 doesn't look like a completely wrong sentence either. What are the rules?

P.S. - I tried to find if this (or similar) question already existed, so please link me up to the one that answers this already.

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  • Just `I've sent the file. See if it's applicable.' is complete and clear. If that feels too short, here's another idea: I've sent the file so you can see if it's applicable.
    – lauir
    Commented Feb 12, 2016 at 8:05
  • Yeah, you're right here. I was just trying to come up with an example. :)
    – Phi_1.618
    Commented Feb 12, 2016 at 9:32

3 Answers 3

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The overwhelming usage is applicable to. The google reports 67.5M hits for applicable to and 340K hits for applicable for. (Admittedly this not an exact gauge.) I find a similar disparity on the Ngram viewer. Applicable means relevant or appropriate, and when the subject under discussion applies directly to the person addressed, then applicable to is the phrasing of choice. Sometimes, however, the subject under discussion is relevant to the situation of the person addressed but not to person himself or herself. In that case, applicable for may be used. Here's an instance from Vicki Lansky's Divorce Book for Parents:

One rule of thumb is 25 percent of the noncustodial's take-home pay at the time of your divorce will go to child support. But only a professional can tell you whether this will be applicable for you.

So, generally speaking divorced parents who aren't living with their children (noncustodials) can expect to pay one-quarter of their salary to support their children. But both custodial and noncustodial parents may be reading the book, and the 25% rule isn't applicable directly to custodial parents, only to their noncustodial ex-spouses. So the author uses applicable for to include the situations of both types of divorced parents.

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The phrase "applicable to" suggests the speaker suggesting something mildly as a third party, "applicable for " means the speaker emphasizing on something which was permissible to you by law or by ethics.

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"Applicable for the grant" is sure to be correct speaking of organizations and people who may apply and hope to win it, "applicable to the grant" sounds more like something that refers to the grant itself. Of course, this is quite a particular case and... am I right? (I'm no native speaker, sorry).

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    Is this an answer or a question? You've written it in the Answer box, but you end it with "Am I right?" which sounds like it's a question. Please note that this is a Question and Answer site, not a discussion forum. Questions go in the Question box, Answers go in the Answer box.
    – AndyT
    Commented Sep 8, 2017 at 11:19
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    @Asya: You could make your answer-with-question a comment, below the question.
    – TimR
    Commented Sep 4, 2023 at 10:20
  • But I think the appropriate word in your example would be eligible. applicable doesn't have the meaning "eligible to apply (for something)". That which is applicable "can be applied" whereas you want it to mean "can apply".
    – TimR
    Commented Sep 4, 2023 at 10:23

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