different and difference

different

dif·fer·ent   [ˈdɪfrənt]    [ˈdɪfrənt]  adjective
1. ~ (from/to/than sb/sth) not the same as sb/sth; not like sb/sth else
• American English is significantly different from British English.
• (BrE) It's very different to what I'm used to.
• (NAmE) He saw he was no different than anybody else.
• It's different now than it was a year ago.
• People often give very different accounts of the same event.
• My son's terribly untidy; my daughter's no different.
• The room looks different without the furniture.
• Now he spoke in a different and kinder voice.

Opp:  similar

2. only before noun separate and individual
• She offered us five different kinds of cake.
• The programme was about customs in different parts of the country.
• They are sold in many different colours.

• I looked it up in three different dictionaries.

3. not usually before noun (informal) unusual; not like other people or things
• ‘Did you enjoy the play?’ ‘Well, it was certainly different!’
more at put a new/different complexion on sth at  complexion, know different/otherwise at  know  _v., be another/a different matter at  matter  _n., march to (the beat of) a different drummer/drum at  march, pull in different/opposite directions at  pull  _v., sing a different tune at  sing  _v., tell a different story/tale at  tell
Idiom: different kettle of fish
Derived Word: differently  
Word Origin:
late Middle English: via Old French from Latin different- ‘carrying away, differing’, from the verb differre, from dis- ‘from, away’ + ferre ‘bring, carry’.  
Thesaurus:
different [different differently] adj.
• The room looks different without the furniture.
unlike • • unequal • • contrasting • • varied • • mixed • • diverse • • assorted • |formal disparate • • dissimilar •
Opp: the same, Opp: similar
different/dissimilar from sth
different/contrasting/varied/diverse/disparate ways
different/contrasting/mixed/diverse /disparate views
look different/unlike sth/dissimilar 
British/American:
different from / to / than
Different from is the most common structure in both BrE and NAmE. Different to is also used in BrE: ▪ Paul’s very different from/to his brother. ◊ ▪ This visit is very different from/to last time.
In NAmE people also say different than: ▪ Your trains are different than ours. ◊ ▪ You look different than before.
Before a clause you can also use different from (and different than in NAmE): ▪ She looked different from what I’d expected. ◊ ▪ She looked different than (what) I’d expected.  
Example Bank:
• That's a whole different matter.
• The movie's different than the original book.
• The same colour can appear subtly different on different types of paper.
• The tune returns in a subtly different guise.
• Their customs are very different to ours.
• This is a far different movie from his previous one.
• This school is radically different from most others.
• a refreshingly different approach to language learning
• ‘Did you enjoy the play?’ ‘Well, it was certainly different.’
• He's a different proposition from his father— much less tolerant.
• Her methods are different, but no less effective for that.
• I don't mind lizards, but snakes are a different matter.
• It's very different to what I'm used to.
• My son's terribly untidy; my daughter's no different.
• This exquisite little hotel seemed to belong to a different age.
• We come from different worlds.

• We must approach the problem from a different standpoint.

difference

dif·fer·ence [difference differences]   [ˈdɪfrəns]    [ˈdɪfrəns]  noun
1. countable, uncountable ~ (between A and B) | ~ (in sth) the way in which two people or things are not like each other; the way in which sb/sth has changed
• There are no significant differences between the education systems of the two countries.
• He was studying the complex similarities and differences between humans and animals.
• There's no difference in the results.
• I can never tell the difference (= distinguish) between the twins
• She noticed a marked difference in the children on her second visit.
• There's a world of difference between liking someone and loving them.
• What a difference! You look great with your hair like that.

Opp:  similarity

2. singular, uncountable ~ (in sth) (between A and B) the amount that sth is greater or smaller than sth else
• There's not much difference in price between the two computers.
• There's an age difference of six years between the boys (= one is six years older than the other).
• I'll lend you £500 and you'll have to find the difference (= the rest of the money that you need).

• We measured the difference in temperature.

3. countable a disagreement between people
• We have our differences, but she's still my sister.
• Why don't you settle your differences and be friends again?
• There was a difference of opinion over who had won.
more at bury your differences at  bury, sink your differences at  sink  _v., split the difference at  split  _v., a/the world of difference at  world
Idioms: make a/no/some difference ▪ make all the difference ▪ same difference ▪ with a difference  
Word Origin:
Middle English: via Old French from Latin differentia ‘difference’, from different- ‘carrying away’, from the verb differre, from dis- ‘from, away’ + ferre ‘bring, carry’.  
Thesaurus:
difference noun C, U
• There are significant differences between the two systems.
contrast • • variation • • distinction • |formal disparity • • variance • • divergence • |technical imbalance •
Opp: similarity
a difference/contrast/variation/distinction/disparity/variance/divergence/imbalance between A and B
a difference/contrast/variation/disparity/variance/divergence/imbalance in sth
show a difference/contrast/variation/distinction/disparity/variance/divergence/imbalance
see/be aware of/look at a difference/contrast/variation/distinction 
Language Bank:
contrast
Highlighting differences
▪ This survey highlights a number of differences in ▪ the way that teenage boys and girls in the UK spend their free time.
One of the main differences between ▪ the girls and ▪ the boys who took part in the research was the way in which they use the Internet.
Unlike ▪ the girls, who use the Internet mainly to keep in touch with friends, the boys questioned in this survey tend to use the Internet for playing computer games.
▪ The girls differ from ▪ the boys in that ▪ they tend to spend more time keeping in touch with friends on the telephone or on social networking websites.
Compared to ▪ the boys, the girls spend much more time chatting to friends on the telephone.
▪ On average the girls spend four hours a week chatting to friends on the phone. In contrast ▪, very few of the boys spend more than five minutes a day talking to their friends in this way.
▪ The boys prefer competitive sports and computer games, whereas ▪ / while ▪ the girls seem to enjoy more cooperative activities, such as shopping with friends.
▪ When the girls go shopping, they mainly buy clothes and cosmetics. The boys, on the other hand ▪, tend to purchase computer games or gadgets.
Language Banks at generally, illustrate, proportion, similarly, surprising  
Example Bank:
• A small number of additional jobs can make a crucial difference to economic conditions.
• Although the talks were generally successful, differences remain between the groups.
• Can you spot the difference between these two photos?
• Differences may arise when the young people do not have the same expectations as their parents.
• He didn't have enough money, but his aunt agreed to make up the difference.
• He sold the car for more than he'd paid and pocketed the difference.
• He was very aware of his difference from the other children.
• I found very little difference in price.
• I noticed a real difference in his attitude.
• I wanted to leave early and Ian wanted to leave late, so we split the difference and left at noon.
• If you decide on the more expensive model, you can bring this one back and pay the difference.
• If you want a holiday with a difference, come to Iceland.
• It's difficult to tell the difference between butterflies and moths.
• Just five minutes' exercise a day could make all the difference.
• Like any married couple, we have our differences.
• One tiny mistake when you're climbing could mean the difference between life and death.
• Only an expert would know the difference between the male and the female.
• Our different attitudes to life reflect the differences in our backgrounds.
• She and Luke had a difference of opinion over how much money they should spend.
• The difference in price is not very significant.
• The difference lies in the way the fruit is prepared.
• The difference with this information service is that it's free.
• The differences in size arise from the amount of sunshine each plant gets.
• The extra money will make a lot of difference to us.
• The new central heating has made an enormous difference to the house.
• The questionnaire showed vast differences in what kind of product people want.
• The study explores the differences between the way girls and boys talk.
• There are few important policy differences among the main parties.
• There is a striking difference between eastern and western Europe.
• There is one key difference with the earlier version of the software.
• There were some differences as to how to deal with the crisis.
• There's a big difference between reading about skiing and doing it yourself.
• There's all the difference in the world between choosing to do something and being forced to do it.
• There's not much difference between baseball and softball.
• These talks aim to resolve the outstanding differences between the two sides.
• They have had some minor differences, but in general they get on well together.
• We found no significant difference between the two groups.
• We should be focusing on what we have in common rather than emphasizing our differences.
• We're going to get the two sides together to see if they can't settle their differences.
• What difference does it make if he doesn't have a car?
• What's the time difference between London and Tokyo?
• a crucial difference of emphasis
• I can never tell the difference between the twins.
• I'll lend you £500 and you'll have to find the difference.
• There's a world of difference between liking someone and loving them.
• There's an age difference of six years between the two boys.
• There's not much difference in price between the two computers.
• We have our differences, but she's still my sister.
• What a difference! You look great with your hair like that

• Why don't you settle your differences and be friends again?