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grammaticality - "Highest building of/in the world"


Which is correct?



The Chrysler building was the highest building in the world. Today, it is the seventh highest building in the USA.



or:



The Chrysler building was the highest building of the world. Today, it is the seventh highest building of the USA.




Answer



Definitely go with "in the world". I don't recall ever hearing "highest building of the world". Google Ngram confirms that "highest building in the world" is the most commonly used phrase, by far.


However, I think it would be even better to say "tallest building in the world". This would be my personal choice and Google Ngram confirms that the use of "tallest" in this phrase has outstripped the use of "highest" since, approximately, 1917.


Google Ngram: highest building in the world vs. highest building of the world Google Ngram: tallest building in the world vs. highest building in the world


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