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
Read on to learn how to tell the difference between a canker sore and a cold sore.
—
Amanda Gardner, Health, 13 Apr. 2024
Machine learning models need to analyze real and fake audio samples from each language to tell the difference between them.
—Huo Jingnan, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
In 2001, the US dropped food packets over Afghanistan accompanied by leaflets explaining how civilians could tell the difference between airdrops and cluster bombs.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
That said, people often ask us how to tell the difference between the mood swings of puberty and those of depression or other mental health struggles.
—Vanessa Kroll Bennett, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Here's how to tell the difference: Urine has a yellowish color and smells like ammonia, while amniotic fluid is usually odorless, says Brichter.
—Nicole Harris, Parents, 14 Mar. 2024
In hour two, the film’s political vision goes from amoral to nihilistic since the Millennial audience groomed by Nolan’s Batman movies can’t tell the difference.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
Was the issue that Clarkesworld couldn’t tell the difference between the human- and chatbot-written entries?
—Daniel Wolfe, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
The documents, which are partially redacted, also show how the AI made errors during the trial, such as flagging children who were following their parents through ticket barriers as potential fare dodgers, or not being able to tell the difference between a folding bike and a nonfolding bike.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2024
Amanda Gardner, Health, 13 Apr. 2024
Machine learning models need to analyze real and fake audio samples from each language to tell the difference between them.
—Huo Jingnan, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
In 2001, the US dropped food packets over Afghanistan accompanied by leaflets explaining how civilians could tell the difference between airdrops and cluster bombs.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
That said, people often ask us how to tell the difference between the mood swings of puberty and those of depression or other mental health struggles.
—Vanessa Kroll Bennett, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Here's how to tell the difference: Urine has a yellowish color and smells like ammonia, while amniotic fluid is usually odorless, says Brichter.
—Nicole Harris, Parents, 14 Mar. 2024
In hour two, the film’s political vision goes from amoral to nihilistic since the Millennial audience groomed by Nolan’s Batman movies can’t tell the difference.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
Was the issue that Clarkesworld couldn’t tell the difference between the human- and chatbot-written entries?
—Daniel Wolfe, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
The documents, which are partially redacted, also show how the AI made errors during the trial, such as flagging children who were following their parents through ticket barriers as potential fare dodgers, or not being able to tell the difference between a folding bike and a nonfolding bike.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tell the difference.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tell the difference
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“Tell the difference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20the%20difference. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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