Every day, without thinking about it, we all refer to quantities without specifying a number. Most commonly, we do this by using terms like a few, a couple, and several. A lot of people have strong opinions about what each of these terms means—and what it doesn’t. In this article, we’ll discuss the differences, the overlap, and dig into these questions and a few (or …
Your brain! Your nerves! The torment! The destruction! Is it rack or wrack?! And how does wreck fit into all this? Take a breath. In this article, everything will be explained, including: What’s the difference between rack and wrack? Is it racking my brain or wracking my brain? Is it nerve-racking or nerve-wracking? Is nerve-wrecking a word? Where do these phrases come from? The noun …
One recipe says to roast the chicken breasts in the oven at 400° F. Another recipe calls for the chicken breasts to be baked … in the oven… at 400°. What’s going on here? Are roast and bake really interchangeable, or are there subtle differences? The answer is both. In this article, we’ll break down the multiple meanings of both roast and bake, what the …
Both crevasse and crevice refer to cracks in things, but their meanings are not exactly the same. And neither are their pronunciations. In this article, we’ll break down the distinctions, explain how the difference in pronunciation can help you remember the difference in meaning, and reveal which one is big enough for you to fall into. A crevasse, [ kruh–vas ] with a second syllable …
It’s the internet’s favorite eight-armed plural debate: octopuses vs. octopi. (And that relative newcomer, octopodes.) Is there a “correct” plural for octopus? And what’s with the -i in octopi? In this article, we’ll wrap our tentacles around these questions, break down the differences between each term, and tell you which terms are acceptable and most commonly used. Like the octopus itself, the English language is, …
You probably know that octopuses and squids are different animals, but if one latched onto you and refused to let go until you were able to list all the differences, how much would you really be able to say? (Scary hypothetical, we know.) After all, they’re both boneless sea creatures with lots of arms, right? Well, sort of. There are several major differences, not to …
When you’re buying gold and diamond jewelry, the difference between karats and carats can get confusing—and expensive—really fast. That’s because karat and carat are used in similar contexts in similar ways (as units of measure), and in some cases and places they can even overlap. We’ll break down what each word means, what exactly it measures, and review the different ways they’re used. We’ll even …
Royalty is complicated. There are so many titles to keep track of—even a single individual may have multiple titles. And there are so many questions: what’s the difference between a prince and a duke? What about earls, barons, counts, viscounts, and marquis? (Or is it marquises?) In this article, we’ll decree the official differences—and, in some cases, overlap—between dukes and princes, as well as many …
If you feel like until has just too many letters or syllables, good news: you’ve got options. But should you use ’til or till? And what’s the difference, anyway? By the end of this article, you’ll know the differences between until, till, and ’til, including in terms of origin, level of formality, and use. The word ’til is a shortening of until that, like many …
The question of whether to use disc or disk can be a bit circular: in some cases, one is definitely preferred, but in many cases their use overlaps—meaning they’re often interchangeable. This is because both words typically refer to something round and flat (though not always, as we’ll see). The difference, when there is one, usually just depends on what the established preference is. The …
Prone and supine are both used in medical and anatomical contexts to describe a position in which a person is lying down, but they refer to different ways of facing—either face up or face down. In this article, we’ll break down the difference and provide clear explanations of other medical positions. In medical and anatomical contexts, supine position is the body position in which a …
Fare and fair are pronounced exactly the same and have many different meanings spanning different parts of speech, including nouns, adjectives, and verbs. This can make things very confusing. Is it fare well or farewell? And when you ask someone how things turned out, should you say How did you fare? or How did you fair? In this article, we’ll break down the differences, provide …