What Are the Common Topics for Compare and Contrast Essays?


Compare and contrast essays are an incredibly popular style of essay that most students will come across during their educational career, whether in college or earlier on. For those who may not know, a compare and contrast essay is exactly how it sounds: it is an assignment in which two (or perhaps more) topics are analyzed based on their similarities and their differences. Although this type of assignment is fairly simple, there are sometimes topics out there that can make writing this type of essay a bit challenging.

Although typically, the teacher will assign the topic for the essay, if you are allowed to choose yours, stay close to a topic that you will feel comfortable discussing, as this will allow the essay to flow more naturally. When selecting a topic, no matter how common it may be, also keep in mind the amount of research that will be required to write the essay. Naturally, some topics may require more research than others.

Speaking of topics, let’s check out a few of the most common topics when it comes to comparison and contrast essays:

Common Compare and Contrast Essay Topics


  • The influence of celebrities vs. the influence of parents
  • Various books and movies
  • Comparing particular historical events
  • Politics
  • Being famous vs. being wealthy/rich
  • Taking classes on vs. in-classroom education
  • Natural Beauty vs. Cosmetic Beauty
  • People and Personalities
  • Dictators vs. Bullies
  • Rap Music vs. Pop Music
  • Movies in Theatres vs. Movies at Home

Stay on Topic and Stay Organized With Your Content


No matter which topic you select, or your teacher selects for you, it is crucial to remember that once you have determined what the topic for your essay will be, that you organized your thoughts and get a sense of what you would like to write. This will also be helpful when you are creating your introductory paragraph, as it will allow you to create a more concise and clear introduction. You can also try using visual aids to help you get a better understanding of the material; this will also help with organizing your paragraphs.

Once you have chosen your topic it is also important to remember the format of your essay which simply includes the Introduction (as discussed above), the section that contains the similarities between topics A and B, the section that discusses the differences, and the conclusion that ties all the information together.

And there you have it- some of the most common compare and essay topics and steps on how to tie them together.

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