Beneath, under or below?

Beneath

Beneath in formal writing

Beneath means ‘at a lower level than’.

Beneath is most common in formal writing. We don’t use it often in informal speaking. In speaking, under and below are much more common.

Beneath to describe position

We use beneath most commonly to describe the position of things which are at a lower level than something else:

Archaeologists discovered a gold cup just beneath the surface at the site of a Roman villa.
The metro station is right beneath the airport.

Beneath is particularly common when talking about the ground or surface directly under one’s feet:

She could feel the train coming because the ground beneath her feet was moving.

Beneath not with numbers

Beneath has a meaning similar to under and below but we do not use it with numbers:

We bought it for just under 200 pounds.

Not: … for just beneath 200 pounds.

The temperature was below zero all that week.

Not: The temperature was beneath …

Beneath one’s abilities, status or expectations

We use beneath, not under, to talk about things which are at a lower level in terms of a person’s abilities, status or expectations. We often use beneath not under when someone feels that they are too important or too intelligent to do something:

[A student is commenting on a language course]

The writing and grammar courses were good but maybe a bit beneath my expectations.

Not: … maybe a bit under my expectations.

Under

Under touching or covering position

Under is a preposition. When we use under as a preposition, it is similar to below. We use under to talk about something that is below or lower than something else:

The cat is under the table.
His shoes were under his bed.

When we use under, we can also mean that one thing is touching or covering something else. We do not use below in this way:

The wreck of the Titanic still remains under the sea.

Not: … below the sea.

He had hidden the money under the floorboards.

Not: … below the floorboards.

Under not a lower position

We don’t use under to refer to something in a lower position than something else. We use below:

Venus is just below the moon right now.

Not: Venus is just under the moon …

Under age

We use under, not below, to refer to age:

You have to be under 18 to get an allowance.
They have three children under the age of five.

Under time and weight

We use under, not below, to talk about measurements of time and weight:

We finished the project in under a year and a half.
The bag was just under 10 kilos, so I was able to bring it on the plane.

But below height and temperature

When we talk about height and temperature, we use below not under:

The roof of the new building is just below the height of the church and I think it distracts from the church.

Not: … under the height of the church …

The liquid must be kept below five degrees. (preferred to … under five degrees.)

Underneath is similar to under, but it usually only refers to position:

Underneath the stairs is where we keep our vacuum cleaner and brushes.

The child weighed under five kilos.

Not: … underneath five kilos.

Below

Below no contact lower position

We use below most commonly as a preposition meaning ‘lower than’. It has a similar meaning to under. The opposite of below is above. We use it when there is no contact between people or things:

We don’t use below when one thing touches or covers or hides something else; we usually use under instead:

Under a white coat, she wore an amazing red dress.

Not: Below a white coat …

Below with numbers, amounts or statistics

When we talk about numbers, amounts or statistics being at a lower level, we use below more than under:

Inflation has fallen below 5% for the first time in six years.
The company’s profits in 2008 were below what they had hoped for.

To find more:

Cambridge grammar: Beneath
Cambridge grammar: Under
Cambridge grammar: Below