available to/for download

Sarasu

New Member
German
Hello,

I am wondering if the correct expression is:
- the report is available FOR download at (name of website) or
- the report is available TO download at (name of website)

I like the first version better, but found the second one in an official document.

Thanks for your help.
 
  • PaulQ

    Senior Member
    UK
    English - England
    The report is available FOR download at (name of website) - download = noun.
    The report is available TO download at (name of website) - download = verb.
     

    Linkway

    Senior Member
    British English
    I can't agree. There is no implication that the download is freely available
    to anyone/everyone; a login with password may be required or some other restriction may apply.
     

    Sarasu

    New Member
    German
    Thank you for your answers.
    In that case, the document was available for anyone to download freely, but I don't see how that changes the grammar.
     

    Cagey

    post mod (English Only / Latin)
    English - US
    According to this Ngram:
    available for download --- currently most popular
    available for downloading --- also used, but ranks lower.
    available to download --- has a very low usage compared to the other two.

    From 1980 - 1992, when the phrase began to appear in published works, 'available for downloading' was the version first used, and then strongly preferred. Available for downloading strikes me as more grammatical than available for download. However, in 1996, available for download pulled ahead, and has been increasingly preferred ever since.
     
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