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
Duerson, lost so deep in his delusion, can't tell the difference.
—
EW.com, 16 Mar. 2025
Even the detectives investigating the crime—who had full, unrestricted access to Jamie’s social media—couldn’t tell the difference between friendliness and bullying in his Instagram comments.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
In the comment section of the funny video, fans joked that Blanco — known for his wild curly hairstyle and unibrow — might be the only one who couldn't tell the difference.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
No random freelancers who can’t tell the difference between APA and MLA.
—Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell the difference
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EW.com, 16 Mar. 2025
Even the detectives investigating the crime—who had full, unrestricted access to Jamie’s social media—couldn’t tell the difference between friendliness and bullying in his Instagram comments.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
In the comment section of the funny video, fans joked that Blanco — known for his wild curly hairstyle and unibrow — might be the only one who couldn't tell the difference.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
No random freelancers who can’t tell the difference between APA and MLA.
—Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell the difference
Cite this Entry
“Tell the difference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20the%20difference. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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