This tag is for questions about the differences in the meaning of two words.
15
votes
6answers
3k views
Difference between “condo” and “apartment”
I have never really understood the connotation of someone calling their domicile a condo over the word apartment. I have a vague feeling the former is fancier and more up-scale, but are there any ...
15
votes
5answers
7k views
Differences between “sledge”, “sleigh” and “sled”
Is there a difference between a sledge, a sleigh and a sled?
Dictionary definitions suggest they are synonymous, but it certainly sounds wrong to refer to Santa Claus on a sledge.
15
votes
5answers
5k views
What is the difference between “gift” and “present”?
What is the difference between gift and present?
14
votes
5answers
1k views
What is the difference between “venom” and “poison”?
What is the difference between “venom” and “poison”?
Both in usage and in meaning.
14
votes
3answers
1k views
“Instable” or “unstable”?
From my experience, it seems that although unstable is more commonly used, instable is often preferred in engineering and scientific contexts, e.g. "aircraft instability", "instable algorithm".
Are ...
14
votes
4answers
7k views
What are the important differences between Canadian and American (USA) English?
English is not my first language; the little English I know is mostly from the USA.
I know some of the differences between British English (or just English?) and American English, and the same with ...
14
votes
5answers
753 views
The difference between “take” and “last”
We say: "the meeting will last two hours". But we say: "how long does the flight take?"
Please let me know the difference between last and take and when we should use each.
14
votes
5answers
2k views
“Eventually” vs. “finally”
What is the difference between finally and eventually?
He eventually escaped and made his way back to England.
He finally escaped and made his way back to England.
14
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the difference between a “ghetto” and a “slum”?
What is the difference between a ghetto and a slum?
14
votes
3answers
1k views
Is there a general rule for the prefixation of “un-” and “de-” to words?
Given the different questions we have seen about the prefixes "de-" and "un-", I have grown curious if there is a overarching rule for terms that need undoing.
“Unselect” or “Deselect”?
“Unregister” ...
14
votes
3answers
3k views
“Thru” vs. “through”
Could anyone explain the differences between "thru" and "through"?
Is the difference only in spelling?
Is "thru" some sort of slang?
14
votes
2answers
397 views
Envision vs Envisage
Is there a context where envision is not a synonym of envisage, or vice versa?
Envisage's definition:
contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event
Envision's ...
14
votes
4answers
7k views
What's the difference between “informal”, “colloquial”, “slang”, and “vulgar”?
It seems many people get confused about the differences (and similarities) between "colloquial" and "slang", so what exactly does each term apply to?
But to be even more thorough it seems to me we ...
13
votes
12answers
5k views
What is the difference between “quicker” and “faster”?
What is the correct word to use here and why:
I will get there quicker [than you]
vs.
I will get there faster [than you]
There must be similar adverbs for "slower".
13
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm?
What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm? I've been told that an apocalypse is an act of God, but we seem to use it as a generic term for any grand disaster. What is the ...
13
votes
6answers
858 views
What is the difference between “Gay” and “Homosexual"? Is it only by gender?
I was interested in the line “...most Americans use the word 'gay' now instead of 'homosexual'” in Maureen Dowd’s article titled “Happily Never After?” in today’s (April 2) New York Times:
I’m ...
13
votes
7answers
2k views
What are the similarities and differences between “irony” and “sarcasm”?
This seems to be one the long-standing arguments between people on the internet. When is something "irony" and when is it "sarcasm"? And can a quip be both at the same time?
Dictionary definitions ...
13
votes
3answers
1k views
“A bit” vs. “a little bit” vs. “a little”
Is there a difference between a bit, a little bit and a little in the following context?
He is a little bit angry.
He is a little angry.
He is a bit angry.
Or do these sentences mean the ...
13
votes
6answers
4k views
Distinction between “pillage” and “plunder”
Both pillage and plunder refer to the taking of goods by force. What is the distinction in usage between the two words?
Specifically, (due to a recent argument) do pirates only plunder, or can they ...
13
votes
2answers
549 views
Is “so” more feminine than “very”?
Many Japanese textbooks of English mention the "feminine 'so'": the use of "so" for "very" is more typical of a feminine speaker. I don't think this is true in the US (I learned English living in ...
12
votes
11answers
1k views
Cases where “mistake” and “error” are not interchangeable
Are there cases where error and mistake are not interchangeable?
12
votes
8answers
5k views
What's the difference between “bucket” and “pail”?
What is the difference between bucket and pail?
Is there a distinction between the shape of a bucket and the shape of a pail?
Are buckets and pails made of different materials?
Is there a difference ...
12
votes
5answers
7k views
Difference between “theorem” and “theory”
What is the difference between a theorem and a theory? The two words seem to be used to describe very similar things, but yet do not seem to be interchangeable.
For example, we have Pythagoras' ...
12
votes
5answers
946 views
“Writing things down” vs. “writing things up”
Is there any difference in the usage of "writing things down" vs. "writing things up"? Are they both correct?
12
votes
5answers
1k views
Difference between “commit suicide” and “suicide”
One of the examples in my English composition book (for learning to write my language's sentences in English) was "Why he committed suicide under such a good circumstance is an unsolved question.", ...
12
votes
3answers
933 views
What is the difference between “none of …” and “neither of”?
What's the difference between the following examples:
Neither of my teachers are mathematicians.
None of my teachers are mathematicians.
12
votes
4answers
5k views
Difference between “résumé” and “CV”
What's the difference between résumé and CV?
When is résumé used? And when is CV used? Are they equivalent?
12
votes
7answers
3k views
What's the difference between a vicar and a pastor?
What's the difference between a vicar, preferably of the Church of England, and a pastor? I browsed Wikipedia, but most of the gist of the article is that vicar is an ecclesiastical office, and ...
12
votes
6answers
1k views
Difference between “run into”, “come upon” and “come across”
These phrasal verbs have a similar meaning (please correct me if not):
run into
come across
come upon
Are there any nuances to choose between them? For example, I might be wrong but I mostly see ...
12
votes
5answers
608 views
“Play it as it lays” or “play it as it lies”
The title of Joan Didion's book Play It as It Lays has thrown me off since I first heard it. Shouldn't it be Play It as It Lies?
I have read through a related post on the subject of lay vs. lie and ...
12
votes
3answers
9k views
12
votes
4answers
7k views
What is the difference between 'make decision' and 'take decision'?
What is the difference between make decision and take decision? When to use the one and when the other?
12
votes
3answers
2k views
Parentheses vs. double commas vs. dashes to provide additional detail
When do you use commas and when do you use parentheses to provide more detail about something?
For example:
The suspect, Tom Wilson, is now being charged with murder.
The suspect (Tom Wilson) is ...
12
votes
1answer
533 views
“Defense” or “defence”
Is the only difference that in USA they write it with s and in UK they write it with c, or is there anything more?
11
votes
5answers
7k views
“To be subject to” vs. “to be subjected to”
I read an article from Toronto Star today which stated:
TTC workers are subject to alcohol and drug testing.
A later paragraph of the same article repeated it, except it used subjected to ...
11
votes
3answers
767 views
What's the difference between a “fen” and a “dale”?
What's the difference between a fen and a dale? Are these words used precisely at all?
EDIT: My question comes from this Kipling poem, The Spirit of England; if you'll notice, each couplet, plain ...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
Is there any difference between “color” and “colour”?
What is the difference between color and colour?
11
votes
6answers
831 views
What's the difference between 'just' and 'fair'?
What's the difference between 'just' and 'fair'? OED gives slightly different definitions, but they are not distinct enough as to be clear (to me). Is the difference simply idiomatic, or is there a ...
11
votes
5answers
12k views
What is the difference between “nothing but”, “anything but”, and “everything but”?
What is the difference between these phrases? When is it valid to use which? Should they be avoided as being ambiguous?
11
votes
3answers
3k views
“I am on it” vs. “I am at it”
What are the differences between I am on it and I am at it? What does the latter mean? I found the definition of the former on Urban Dictionary and understand that it means I'm going to solve it ...
11
votes
3answers
4k views
Difference between “sorcerer” and “wizard”
What is the difference between sorcerer and wizard?
I know that the nomenclature is unclear. However, the common usage seems to indicate:
a wizard is born an ordinary mortal, learns magic and ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
“Between A and B” or “from A to B”
Suppose we are talking about the numbers 1, 2, ... , 10.
When we use the phrase between 1 and 10, do we include the end-points 1 and 10? Is there any difference if we say from 1 to 10 instead?
11
votes
5answers
5k views
Difference between “pain” and “ache”
What's the difference between pain and ache?
I often see the two words used (almost) interchangeably. At the same time the phrase "aches and pains" is pretty common, and seems to suggest that the two ...
11
votes
8answers
13k views
What's the difference between a jumper, a pullover, and a sweater?
Following on from a recent question, in Australia we have the word jumper for a knitted long-sleeved garment, typically woollen and long-sleeved.
When cosuming foreign media I always assumed the ...
11
votes
2answers
3k views
“Electronic” vs. “electric”
Most people would refer to computers as being electronic, whereas a flashlight would be described as electric.
I know the general difference (electronic devices use transistors?), but what is it ...
11
votes
3answers
7k views
What's the difference between “Collaborate” and “Cooperate”?
Both of these words seem to mean much the same thing: working together to achieve some goal. I can instinctively feel a difference between them, but I can't easily put it into words.
Can you help me? ...
11
votes
2answers
1k views
What is the difference between “daemon” and “demon” in a religious context?
Is there a difference between demon and daemon in a religious context?
11
votes
3answers
7k views
What are the differences between “inverse”, “reverse”, and “converse”?
What distinctions can be made among the meanings of the words "inverse", "reverse", "converse", and, for good measure, "transverse" and "obverse"? Is it ever possible to use some of them ...
11
votes
1answer
437 views
Logging in or on?
There are a plethora of words for user accounts, like logon, login, signon, and also the action of logging in (or logging on) or signing in.
Are there any usage guidelines here?
11
votes
4answers
2k views
“Versus” versus “vs.” in writing
In writing, when should one use the abbreviation vs. as opposed to the full versus?
This abbreviation seems to have special status from common usage. What is the origin of that, and in what writing ...
