tell the difference

idiom

: 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

Scientifically, there’s no way to tell the difference between the antibodies of people who have been sick with COVID and those who have been vaccinated against it, one doctor said. —Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice, 21 Jan. 2026

Unfortunately, too many people are unable to tell the difference. —Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026

His family told the doctor that Haney had been having trouble telling the difference between fantasy and reality. —Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 5 Jan. 2026

With its higher precision, the system can better tell the difference between something dangerous (like an intercontinental ballistic missile) and things that aren't dangerous (like debris). —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for tell the difference

• indifference