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

Here are five signs that reuniting with your ex could actually work, and how to tell the difference between real growth and wishful thinking. — Sabrina Romanoff, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026

The machines can tell the difference, but more importantly, so can your audience. — Amy Packard Berry, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Our canine companions can recognize and tell the difference between human facial expressions—and their brains get particularly active when people look happy, a new study shows. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026

The best way to tell the difference is to slice the morel in half the long way to get a cross-section view. — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for tell the difference

• indifference