Amid all of the confusing words in our language comes amid and amidst. Both mean the same thing: in the middle of or surrounded; for example, The downed pilot soon found himself in a rice paddy amid countless enemy soldiers, all looking for him.

Or should that be The downed pilot soon found himself in a rice paddy amidst countless enemy soldiers, all looking for him.?

Go with amid. Though amidst isn’t wrong, it’s a bit formal sounding, and for that reason most editors and writing instructors prefer amid. The Chicago Manual of Style, amid its many tips and rules, recommends using amid.

______________

My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.