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To slide in and out or to slip in and out: which of the following is correct and why?

  1. This way, you can easily slide the bag organizer in and out [of your handbag]
  2. This way, you can easily slip the bag organizer in and out [of your handbag]

Used in another sentence

  1. We've found hardware can damage the inside of your bag when the organizer is slipped in and out
  2. We've found hardware can damage the inside of your bag when the organizer is slid in and out
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  • They're both correct. The organizer is presumably something rigid, like a box, not a bag within a bag?
    – TimR
    Commented Feb 18, 2019 at 21:14
  • Note that slip and slide is also a verbal phrase. So, just to make things more complicated, things can actually slip and slide in and out in some contexts. (Although, normally, that phrasing wouldn't be used in either of your example sentences. I would probably use it to describe trying to hold a bar of soap in the shower, for instance.)
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 7:23

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"Slip" is more commonly a description of an intentional action of discreetly moving oneself or an object:

"Slip that money into your pocket - don't let your mother see."

"Slide" more usually describes the smoothness of the action itself:

"The new, slim-design phone, will slide right into your pocket."

So, if you are marketing discreetness, for example: nondescript packaging of a personal item - you might emphasize how it slips away, unnoticed.

If you are selling the "convenience" of size or shape, slide may be preferred. AmE

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Slide is the more neutral choice. At one level, slip and slide are identical in meaning. However, each word has its own set of connotations drawn from their various uses over the years, e.g. “Slip him a mickey.”

Sometimes, technical writing benefits from a playful style. For example, I once had a cell phone manual with the memorable line: “All those in favor of improved reception, raise your antennas.” After pages of button icons and screenshots, this came as a welcome break.

So there’s no “right choice” between slip and slide in the examples you gave. However, if you’re writing about the insides of women’s handbags, slip might give your text a lighter and more feminine tone.

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