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

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And sometimes people in deep depression cannot tell the difference between mental pain and physical pain, because everything together is a great kind of suffering. — Terry Gross, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 The court has already said that second half is Congress’ job, and the usual objection — that nobody could tell the difference — is about to stop being true. — John Mildenberger, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026 The way to tell the difference isn’t a gut feeling, but willingness to keep watching the evidence, including the evidence that could prove you wrong, long after the decision has already been made. — Piotr Tomasik, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 An ant living deep inside the snow globe can’t easily detect any curvature, and therefore can’t tell the difference between anti-de Sitter and de Sitter space. — Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tell the difference

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telltale

tell the difference

tell the time

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“Tell the difference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20the%20difference. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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tell the difference

phrase

Examples of tell the difference in a Sentence

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tell the difference

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Examples of tell the difference in a Sentence

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