When to use "around" and "about"?

Question

As I know about and around can be used when we estimate something, for example,

I'll arrived around 3:00 PM.

or

I'm here about 10 minutes.

I want to know, are there any rules or idioms when to use about or around?

I’m not sure what you mean by your examples. The first one seems strictly ungrammatical (maybe you mean “I’ll arrive”) and the second needs an “only” or “just” to make sense, or maybe should be in the future tense. — nohat, Oct 09 '10 at 17:15
I'm not good as gramma but I want to know can I use about in first example and around in second? — Anonymous, Oct 09 '10 at 17:17
@nohat: the second example does make sense, if you imagine the person speaking is in a rush. — Matt E. Эллен, Apr 30 '11 at 20:52
@DhanishthaGhosh the actual quotes are wrong, it's better to leave them as that is what the OP said (even if it isn't correct - there are bigger issues) — marcellothearcane, Sep 16 '20 at 19:07

score 19 · Accepted Answer · edited May 02 '12 at 19:06

When used to indicate an approximate time (your first example), "around" is more common.

When used to indicate an approximate duration, either will do, but "about" is probably more common. No particular difference in register, though.

I'm guessing that your first example should be "I'll arrive around 3 pm" while your second should be "I've been here [for] about/around ten minutes".

(British usage)

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