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
Here's how to tell the difference, and how best to prepare plantains, according to Agyeman.
—
Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 18 July 2025
Earth-moving robots equipped with folding mechanical arms, just under four feet wide, use artificial intelligence to tell the difference between clay and solid obstacles.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025
To tell the difference: check plants over carefully for slimy slug trails.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 June 2025
But Virgin suggests this once-exciting approach is starting to become redundant and rote, reflecting a culture in which introspection has supplanted any sense of common purpose, and no one can tell the difference between living life and performing it.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell the difference
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Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 18 July 2025
Earth-moving robots equipped with folding mechanical arms, just under four feet wide, use artificial intelligence to tell the difference between clay and solid obstacles.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025
To tell the difference: check plants over carefully for slimy slug trails.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 June 2025
But Virgin suggests this once-exciting approach is starting to become redundant and rote, reflecting a culture in which introspection has supplanted any sense of common purpose, and no one can tell the difference between living life and performing it.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 June 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 24 Jul. 2025.
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