The most useful collocations for level the playing field are the words and structures that speakers regularly use around it. For a fixed idiom, the whole phrase may be the main pattern. For a flexible expression, the preposition, object, or modifier may change.
To level the playing field is to reduce an unfair advantage or barrier so people can participate or compete on more comparable terms.
Core patterns
1. level the playing field for + group
Use this frame when it matches the role of the expression in your sentence.
2. level the playing field between + participants
Use this frame when it matches the role of the expression in your sentence.
3. help level the playing field
Use this frame when it matches the role of the expression in your sentence.
4. level the playing field by + -ing
Use this frame when it matches the role of the expression in your sentence.
5. a measure designed to level the playing field
Use this frame when it matches the role of the expression in your sentence.
6. do more to level the playing field
Use this frame when it matches the role of the expression in your sentence.
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See how Lyra Practice works →The patterns in complete sentences
Example 1
“Sharing the same interview topics with every candidate can help level the playing field.”
Example 2
“The portal levels the playing field for smaller suppliers by giving everyone the same clarifications.”
Example 3
“Free access to market data could level the playing field between regional teams.”
Notice that the sentence does not stop at the expression. It adds the object, reason, timing, or consequence that the listener needs.
Collocation does not erase meaning
A grammatically natural phrase can still be the wrong choice. These nearby expressions have different meanings:
| Expression | Use it for |
|---|---|
| equalize | make a measurable amount or level equal. |
| standardize | make a format, rule, or process consistent. |
| remove barriers | name a specific obstacle and eliminate or reduce it. |
| give someone an edge | create an advantage rather than reduce one. |
Do not swap these terms only to avoid repetition. First decide what claim the sentence needs to make. Then choose the matching pattern.
Tone can change the best pattern
The phrase is positive policy language, but it can overstate impact when no fairness mechanism is named. It means fairer conditions, not guaranteed equal outcomes.
When the expression is informal, critical, or culturally specific, a direct description may travel better across teams. You can still learn the idiom for recognition while choosing plainer language in formal writing.
Pattern practice
Choose one core pattern and complete it with a real workplace noun. Then add one sentence of evidence. Practice a second version with a nearby expression and notice how the meaning changes.
Useful checks:
- Keep fixed words and prepositions in the right order.
- Do not add an article when the pattern does not take one.
- Make the person, object, or decision clear.
- Match the phrase's intensity to the evidence.
- Prefer plain wording when the audience may not know the reference.
Learn the pattern as a complete frame, then adapt it to the situation. That is more reliable than memorizing the expression by itself.
Lyra Practice helps advanced non-native English professionals learn the nuance of high-value workplace expressions and practice using them in realistic scenarios, so their English sounds natural, precise, and senior at work. Try Lyra Practice.