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Has someone ever told you that you used a wrong word? Well, you're not alone. Many people confuse terms without even knowing it. You might think that it's usually the English language learners who get the names of concepts or objects all mixed up, but it's not unusual for native speakers to get tangled up in misconceptions too.

The truth is, some terms seem so synonymous that people don't even bother to look them up. So, if you ever find yourself in an argument whether muffins have icing or whether tofu and panner are the same thing, it might mean that you need to do some research. But no worries. This time we've got you covered. Inspired by a Scoop Whoop post we dug around and collected some of the most confusing words to explain the differences between them.

Check out if you've made any of these mistakes and let us know in the comments.

(h/t)

#4

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

PublicDomainPictures , Foto-Rabe Report

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athornedrose
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

or as we were taught, poisonous: hurts if you bite it, venomous: hurts if it bites you.

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#8

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Pexels , pen_ash Report

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Lucida
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In my language (Swedish) both have the same name but with "land" and "water" at the beginning of the word, like "waterturtle" and "landturtle".

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#10

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Alaska Fisheries Science Center , GFDL&CC Report

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Marlene Riethmüller
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

had been told 'shrimp' is used more in American English, while 'prawn' is favoured in British English

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#20

Commonly Misused Words

adege , Hans Report

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Lizard Queen
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." - Terry Pratchett

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#22

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Luctheo , Annca Report

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Hans
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This does not really belong here, does it? A champagne is still a sparkling wine, so technically it is a specialisation, not two thing that are confused but essentially are different.

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#23

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Stanze , Skeeze Report

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Neeraj Jha
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Their expression say that they are disappointed in you that you didn't know this.

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#25

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Linda De Volder , Dmitry Dzhus Report

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Hans
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do not tell this to all this alternative right movements who claim that there are certain "people" native to places, and that their intermingling with other "races" will weaken the national identity. We may form nations and e may come from different ethnicies, but we are all humans!

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#26

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

seagul , mareke Report

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Rue Granger
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I never know... What's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?" "Stalagmite has an 'm' in it"

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#27

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

earth247woman , Illuvis Report

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Cactuar Jon
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How do people not know the difference between a butterfly and a moth???

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#28

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

willems_87 , Nahal08 Report

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N G
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What do you call a Gorilla that has a Banana stuck in each ear ? Answer: Anything you like..... because he can't hear you

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#30

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Ben_Kerckx , fsHH Report

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Rue Granger
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not sure about everyone else, but I'm pretty sure people know this. Right? Or is it just me?

diane1atk avatar
diane a
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

didnt know the exact tonnage cut-off point between them - surely old sailing ships that crossed oceans were under 500 tons?

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daniellosinger avatar
Daniel Losinger
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That would seem to be a legal definition in some country (perhaps you will tell us which one). If you look up “boat” and “ship” in a dictionary such as Merriam-Webster, it merely says that a boat is a small vessel and a ship is a large vessel. It doesn’t give any specific size.

aumjayakishatriya avatar
Aumjaya Kishatriya
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Then these differences they gave are not a "legal definition" as you call it since tonnes is a measure of weight, not size.

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donmaps avatar
Don Lawson
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Traditionally it had nothing to do with size. Anything that floats is a boat. If it has three or more masts and is rigged with square sails it is a ship ("ship-rigged"), otherwise it's some other kind of boat (sloop, schooner, brig, barque, etc.). These days, if it's large and operates on the ocean's surface, it's called a ship, otherwise it's called a boat, regardless of its size. There is no specific legal tonnage above which something is considered a ship.

donmaps avatar
Don Lawson
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Submarines are traditionally referred to as "boats", even though some modern examples are well over 5000 tonnes and can circumnavigate the oceans.

nothofagus001-sname avatar
Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a fraught subject, especially given that small ships can be bigger than large boats, and ships can navigate fresh/enclosed water whilst boats can sail ocean/salt water. I have captain friends. We discussed this subject and they indicated that ships have distinct types of bow-to-stern keels, and boats do not. Mariners understand the differnce; most lubbers do not.

aumjayakishatriya avatar
Aumjaya Kishatriya
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

'boats are operated in small or restricted waters.' The 1970's was 50 years ago, why do you feel the need to disrespect Robin Lee Graham? Also, seeing others going on about not being native English speakers and all, we don't really use Olde English or Middle English anymore, so, don't see why they think people today who are native Middle English speakers are a thing. But when looking into that, I found from one etymology website saying "ship (n.) Middle English ship, "seagoing vessel,"..." but then that means, the '"Viking" longboat is also a ship since they used them to reach Angle-Land, other European countries south of there, and North America.

simondunn65 avatar
Simon Dunn
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oversimplified. Submarines are boats however big they are, and ships can carry boats, however big they are, but the ship is a parent vessel.

brucerobb avatar
Bruce Robb
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd always heard that a boat that was something that could be loaded onto a ship.

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Kenny Kulbiski
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's what the Navy taught us. We used to refer to our aircraft carrier as a boat just to p**s the old "salts" off.

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donmaps avatar
Don Lawson
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sometimes. You'd have a hard time fitting a 6000 tonne Los Angeles class submarine (boat) or a 26,000 tonne Great Lake ore carrier (boat) on a 7000 ton tramp freighter (ship).

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smstevenmoffat6 avatar
Steven Moffat
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is incorrect, the actual definition is that a boat leans in when you turn and a ship leans out.

christinaenerotheneroth3 avatar
Christina Eneroth (Eneroth3)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not necessarily. A ship can also be defined as having its own crew stationed on it, while a boat doesn't.

ylfrick avatar
Timothy Kemp
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ships can have boats on them but boats can't have ships on them

lex_marcelino avatar
Lex Marcelino
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Guess I have to weight them up to know if it is a ship or a boat..

ana_felix avatar
Ana Felix
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A captain once said to us ignorant stewards: you can put a boat on a ship, but not a ship on a boat!

ana_felix avatar
Ana Felix
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once heard a captain say: you can put a boat on a ship, but not a ship on a boat!

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Adam Cantor
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

what do you call a vessel that weighs 499.99 tonnes and operates in large, unrestricted waters?

shrirang_joshi avatar
Shrirang Joshi
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

500 tonnes is just a rough number .. if someone builds a vessel with 495 tonnes will it be called as boat?

benbowley avatar
Ben Bowley
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is incorrect... A ship is only a ship if it carries boats aboard.

suzi63 avatar
Suzi Gauthier
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was younger, I thought they were all boats, but bigger ones were ships. Don't ever call a ship a boat in front of a sailor or ship captain. In the Navy, a boat is a sub.

ianmacfarlane avatar
Ian MacFarlane
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But, a submarine that is above 500 tonnes and operates in the ocean or high seas is still called a "boat."

parmeisan avatar
Parmeisan
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hm. And yet I've never read a sci-fi story with spaceboats. I consider this a great failure.

sasquatchme avatar
Wade MacGregor
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where it's operated doesn't matter. People commonly cross the ocean in sail boats of less than 10 tons displacement. On the other hand, there are ships that operate exclusively in the fresh waters of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway that have as much as 26,000 tons of cargo capacity ["...with a load of iron ore, 26,000 tons more, than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty...]. Size is the ONLY difference between a ship and a boat.

donmaps avatar
Don Lawson
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where it's operated matters more than its size. The Great Lakes ore carriers are called boats because they don't go out to sea.

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Rob Williams
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Historic Ships Committee have designated a vessel below 40 tons and 40 feet in length as a boat. However, submarines and fishing vessels are always known as boats whatever their size.

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PurpleUnicorn
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Many Mariners refer to their ships, and submarines, as boats, no matter their size or location of operations

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Tiny Dynamine
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not correct. A ship is only used by the armed forces, i.e. the navy and everything else is a boat.

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Haunting Spirit
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The only difference is: A ship is controlled by a skipper, a boat by a captain.

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#31

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

BubbleJuice , kathydetweiler Report

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did a Masters and a PhD in anurans. The distinction between 'frogs' and 'toads is arbitary. Not all dryish anurans are short-leggedish, or smoothish, or stringy-eggedish, and not all mucussy anurans are the obverse in one or more of those characteristics. The notion of frogs versus toads is simply a gradient of perceptions with no biological significance. And the teeth thing that another commernter claimed is a nonsense...

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#32

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

NickRivers , webandi Report

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wasps can be pollinators - there are many species of orchids whose flower structures are predicated on exactly this fact. Look it up.

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#33

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Liz Mochrie , George Wesley & Bonita Dannells Report

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Vivek Mhatre
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Paneer is awesome. Especially when coated with a layer of spiced corn flour or spiced bread.

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#34

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

GLady , Dennis Candy Report

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Neeraj Jha
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am not sure about this.. The one on the right is also eaten as a fruit in my natives.. It's more like a different variety of Banana..

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#35

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Wounds_and_Cracks , Couleur Report

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Mary-Jane Scharnick
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in S.A the tangerines are called naartjies. pronounced 'nar-chies' . think it comes from the Afrikaans language.

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#36

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

SofieZborilova , MartinStr Report

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Like other differences on this list, the distinctions are arbitrary and not consistent. There is not biological difference between kangaroos and wallabies, save size, and small kangaroos and be smaller than large wallabies. Some wallaby species are distinctly plain in colour. My bona fides? I'm a biologist, with three species of macropod that that come out to graze on my paddocks every night.

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#37

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Alexas_Fotos , Glavo Report

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Cactuar Jon
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rats are amazing, intelligent creatures and it's about time people stopped being scarred of them and start educating themselves about them. They deserve respect.

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#39

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

RitaE , Mooss Report

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Neeraj Jha
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought it's more of US/UK thing. UK calls it biscuits while US cookies.. no?

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