mg
2 synonyms for mg, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Abbreviation — Milligram: a unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a gram, used mainly for doses of medicine and nutrients.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
milligram
milligramme
How to use mg
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
500 mg
mg per day
mg dose
mg/dL
Standard abbreviation; written lowercase with no full stop and a space after the number.
Etymology
An abbreviation of Maung, borrowed from Burmese မောင် (maung).
Full origin of mg →Frequently asked questions
How many mg are in a gram?
There are 1,000 milligrams in one gram, and 1,000,000 milligrams in a kilogram. So 500 mg is half a gram.
What is the difference between mg and mcg?
A milligram is a thousandth of a gram; a microgram, written mcg or µg, is a thousandth of a milligram. Confusing the two on a medicine label means a thousandfold dosing error, which is why mcg is usually spelled out.
What is the difference between mg and ml?
Milligrams measure mass and millilitres measure volume. They only match up if you know the density of the substance, so 5 mg and 5 ml are not the same amount.
