11

What is considered the correct usage of mix versus mixture?

As an example, is either of these two sentences considered to be more correct grammatically than the other?

1) The trip was a mix of hiking and climbing

2) The trip was a mixture of hiking and climbing

To my ear either is acceptable, but I presume one is better than the other?

Improve this question

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
12

The differences between mix and mixture are subtle.

A mix of something is often descriptive of the make-up or components of a mixture:

The castle was built from a mix of sand and water.

A mixture, on the other hand, is the thing that is mixed:

The cake mixture is often a mix of eggs, flour, and oil.

There is a lot of wiggle room in usage and the distinction of when to use one or another is fuzzy. A general rule of thumb is to use mix when naming the individual parts, and mixture to describe the whole.

In the examples you gave, I think both would be acceptable, because you are either talking about a mix of hiking and camping that make up the trip, or the trip's "mixture" of hiking and camping.

Improve this answer
5
  • Mix can also be used as a verb: "Mix 1/4 flour, 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk into a small bowl, and then..."
    – FrustratedWithFormsDesigner
    Commented Sep 1, 2011 at 16:06
  • That is true, but in this example he is asking about the noun.
    – Kit Z. Fox ♦
    Commented Sep 1, 2011 at 16:15
  • Great explaination, cheers :-)
    – Coops
    Commented Sep 2, 2011 at 8:44
  • There’s also admixture: 1. The action or process of mingling one substance with another, or of adding as an ingredient; the fact of being so mingled. 2. That which is mixed with anything; an alloy, an alien element.
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented Aug 15, 2012 at 3:32
  • I would also use "mix" when the ingredients were designed to go together, and "mixture" when it's more customised.
    – cloudfeet
    Commented Apr 10, 2017 at 18:38
0

I would say they are completely interchangeable in this case. When used as a noun, mix is a synonym of mixture.

Improve this answer
0

Mixture tends to be reserved for physical things, but they are generally interchangeable.

Improve this answer
-1

Mixture can be used to mean:

  • a substance made by mixing other substances together
  • [a mixture of] a combination of different qualities, things, or emotions in which the component elements are individually distinct
  • a person regarded as a combination of qualities and attributes
  • the charge of gas or vapor mixed with air that is admitted to the cylinder of an internal combustion engine

Mix can be used to mean:

  • two or more different qualities, things, or people placed, combined, or considered together
  • a group of people of different types within a particular society or community
  • a commercially prepared mixture of ingredients for making a particular type of food or a product such as concrete
  • an image or sound produced by the combination of two separate images or sounds

In the specific case, either mix or mixture can be used, but they are not perfectly equivalent, as in other cases you use mix, and in other different cases you use mixture.

Improve this answer
-1

A mixture is the result of mixing. That is why you buy a cake mix, but not a cake mixture.

Accordingly, version 1 is a viable description of a trip that was planned, while version 2 is apt for a trip that was actually taken.

Improve this answer
1
  • Do you have any references/citations to back you up? Also, what does this answer clarify that hasn't been fully answered by the accepted answer written 6 years ago?
    – marcellothearcane
    Commented Apr 10, 2017 at 18:56
-2

I would like put it in a very simple way

1) Mix - is always a Verb ( Mixing of two substances together )

2) Mixer - is a Noun ( A device / Machine used for Mixing two / more substances together )

3) Mixture - always a Noun ( A substance made by mixing two / more substances together )

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .