tell the difference

phrase

: to see how two or more people or things are unlike each other

It's hard to tell the difference between one action movie and another.

The new version is supposed to be much better than the old one, but I can't tell the difference (between them).

Examples of tell the difference in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What results tends to look like compliance rather than practice, and experienced counterparties can tell the difference. — Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

An ant living deep inside the snow globe can’t easily detect any curvature, and therefore can’t tell the difference between anti-de Sitter and de Sitter space. — Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026

Here’s how to tell the difference between a venomous snake and a harmless one. — Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 24 Sep. 2026

Meanwhile, one's pocketbook could certainly tell the difference, as the former costs close to US$1,000 more. — New Atlas, 15 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for tell the difference

• indifference