Meanings
verbtell the difference (third-person singular simple present tells the difference, present participle telling the difference, simple past and past participle told the difference)
present singular third person tells the difference · participle present telling the difference · participle past told the difference · past told the difference
- To differentiate similar things.
Can you tell the difference between margarine and butter?
Translations
Esperanto distingi
- distingidifferentiate similar things
French faire la différence
- faire la différencedifferentiate similar things
Polish odróżniać, odróżnić
- odróżniaćdifferentiate similar things
- odróżnićdifferentiate similar things
Cite this entry
APA
tell the difference. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20the%20difference
MLA
“tell the difference.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20the%20difference. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tell the difference,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20the%20difference.
Source: tell the difference on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.