English Dictionary
Definition difference in British English
difference
noun
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.
These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
noun
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
When you are talking about a way in which two people or things are different, use the pattern a difference in something (not ‘difference of’ or ‘difference about’):
✗ There is a big difference of grammar between Japanese and English.
✓ There is a big difference in grammar between Japanese and English.
✗ There are major differences about language and customs in various areas in Korea.
✓ There are major differences in language and customs in various areas in Korea.
You can use difference of with a number or percentage, when you are talking about the amount by which two things are different:
He secured 50.7 per cent of the vote against 49.3 per cent (a difference of 227 votes).
Difference of is also used in the phrase difference of opinion which means ‘a disagreement’:
On this issue there is a major difference of opinion between the British government and most business leaders.
Don’t use the expression make a difference to mean ‘recognize that two things are different’. Use make/draw a distinction:
✗ Children cannot always make the difference between fiction and reality.
✓ Children cannot always make the distinction between fiction and reality.
The expression make a difference (to) means to have an effect on someone or something, often a positive effect:
Changes to the age of retirement make a difference to the amount of savings people need.
What's the difference between these two computers?
There are subtle differences in their arrangement of the music.
the significant difference in sound quality between CDs and records
The fundamental difference between John and Jake is their attitudes to money.
the amount by which one thing is different from another thing
disagreements about something
trying to smooth out differences between them
Joe and I have had our differences, but we work well together.
The two parties agreed to settle their differences.
Journalists were told the talks had broken down because of irreconcilable differences.
