difference

IPA/ˈdɪfrəns/
KK[dˈɪfɚəns]IPA/ˈdɪfrəns/

difference — 名詞

  • differencesingular
  • differencesplural

1. a quality or feature that makes one person or thing unlike another, or the state

1.名詞A1
釋義

差異；差別

事物間不相同之處

a quality or feature that makes one person or thing unlike another, or the state of being unlike when two things are compared

例句

The main difference between Trang and her cousin is their height.

莊和她表妹之間主要的差別是身高。

difference + between + nouns

There is a big difference in price between the two laptop models.

這兩款筆記型電腦的價格差異很大。

difference + in + noun

常見搭配
  • main difference
  • big difference
  • only difference
  • tell the difference
  • difference between
  • difference in
同義詞
  • distinction

    more formal, often about subtle or fine differences

  • contrast

    emphasises a clear and often striking opposition between two things

  • variation

    focuses on natural or expected differences within a group or range

反義詞

文法句型

difference + between + plural noun(s)

difference + in + noun

tell the difference between

常見錯誤

There is different between them.
There is a difference between them.
'different' is an adjective; 'difference' is the noun form.
What is the different?
What is the difference?
The adjective 'different' is often confused with the noun 'difference' in question forms.

2. a situation in which two or more people have opinions that do not match, often l

2.名詞A2
釋義

爭執；分歧

意見不同引起的爭論

a situation in which two or more people have opinions that do not match, often leading to a short argument or quarrel

例句

Kasia and her brother had a small difference over which movie to watch.

卡霞和她哥哥因為要看哪部電影而起了點小爭執。

have a difference over

The neighbours managed to settle their differences after a long talk.

鄰居們在長談之後設法解決了他們之間的分歧。

settle your differences

常見搭配
  • have a difference
  • settle differences
  • put aside differences
  • resolve differences
  • difference over
同義詞
  • disagreement

    more general and slightly less intense than 'difference' in this sense

  • argument

    stronger, more emotionally charged, often involves raised voices

  • dispute

    more formal, often about legal or business matters

反義詞

文法句型

have a difference (over/about something)

settle/resolve your differences

put aside differences

用法筆記

Often used in the set phrases 'settle your differences,' 'put aside your differences,' or 'have a difference over/about something.'

常見錯誤

They had difference about money.
They had a difference about money.
Used as a countable noun, so it needs an article.
We made our differences.
We settled our differences.
'Make' is not the natural verb; use 'settle,' 'resolve,' or 'put aside.'

3. a continuing state in which two or more people or groups hold different views, p

3.名詞B1
釋義

意見分歧

長期持不同意見的狀態

a continuing state in which two or more people or groups hold different views, preferences, or approaches over a period of time without necessarily having a single argument

例句

Noor and her business partner have their differences, but they still run the company well.

努爾和她的合夥人之間確實有意見不合的時候，但公司還是經營得很好。

have your differences

The two professors have fundamental differences in their teaching methods.

這兩位教授在教學方法上有根本性的差異。

differences in

常見搭配
  • have your differences
  • creative differences
  • fundamental differences
  • manage differences
  • differences in
同義詞
  • disagreement

    can be used here too, but 'differences' suggests a longer-term state

  • divergence

    more formal, suggests views moving apart over time

反義詞

文法句型

have your differences (on/about/in something)

creative/political/personal differences

用法筆記

Almost always used in the plural form 'differences' or the set phrase 'have your differences.' Unlike sense 2, this does not refer to a single quarrel but to an ongoing mismatch of views.

常見錯誤

They have difference about politics.
They have differences about politics.
This sense is almost always plural.
They have a difference in teaching styles.
They have differences in teaching styles.
Use plural to describe ongoing divergence.

4. how much larger or smaller one number or measurement is when set beside another

4.名詞A2
釋義

差額；差距

數量或測量上的差

how much larger or smaller one number or measurement is when set beside another

例句

The difference in temperature between morning and night is about ten degrees.

早上和晚上的溫差大約是十度。

difference + in [measurement type]

The difference between fifteen and eight is seven.

十五減八的差是七。

常見搭配
  • difference of
  • difference in
  • age difference
  • price difference
  • temperature difference
同義詞
  • gap

    suggests a wider separation, often in scores or amounts

  • margin

    used especially for small differences in competitions, votes, or profits

反義詞
  • equality

    the state of being equal in amount or number

文法句型

difference + of + amount

difference + between + numbers/measurements

difference + in + [measurement type]

用法筆記

Countable and often followed by 'of' to specify the amount ('a difference of 20 dollars') or by 'in' to specify the type of measurement ('a difference in age'). In mathematics, 'difference' is the result of subtraction.

常見錯誤

The difference of temperature is 5 degrees.
The difference in temperature is 5 degrees.
Use 'in' before the type of measurement.
The difference is 5 degrees between them.
The difference between them is 5 degrees.
'Between' introduces the items being compared, not the measurement.

5. an important change or effect that something has on a person, a situation, or th

5.名詞B1
釋義

影響；作用

對人或事產生的改變

an important change or effect that something has on a person, a situation, or the way things develop

例句

A good teacher can make a huge difference to a child's learning.

好老師對孩子的學習會有很大的影響。

make a difference to

It does not make any difference whether we go today or tomorrow.

我們今天去還是明天去都沒有差別。

make any difference

常見搭配
  • make a difference
  • make no difference
  • make all the difference
  • make a real difference
  • make a big difference
同義詞
  • effect

    a broader word for any result or consequence

  • impact

    stronger, often used for significant or lasting change

文法句型

make a difference (to/in something)

make no/any/some/all the difference

make a big/huge/real/significant difference

用法筆記

Used almost exclusively in the idiomatic pattern 'make + a/no/some/any/all the + difference.' The object of the effect is introduced by 'to' ('make a difference to someone') and the area by 'in' ('make a difference in someone's life').

常見錯誤

It doesn't make differences to me.
It doesn't make a difference to me.
This pattern is fixed with a singular noun.
Going early makes difference.
Going early makes a difference.
The noun needs a determiner ('a,' 'no,' 'any,' 'some').
慣用語

make a/no difference

idiom

to have an important effect on someone or something, or to have no effect at all

有影響／沒有影響；有差別／沒差別

A warm coat makes a big difference when you walk to school on a cold morning.

It makes no difference to Olivia whether we meet at the cafe or the library.

tell the difference (between)

idiom

to be able to see or understand how two or more things are different from each other

分辨兩者之間的差別；區分

Most people cannot tell the difference between butter and margarine in a cake.

Anjali could not tell the difference between the twins until she heard their voices.

same difference

idiom

used informally to say that two things are basically the same, even though they appear or are named differently

（口語）差不多啦；還不是一樣

"That is 50 dollars with tax." "54 dollars." "Same difference."

"He said he is a manager, not a supervisor." "Same difference, as far as I can see."

split the difference

idiom

to agree on an amount or solution that is halfway between two suggested positions, especially when discussing a price

各退一步；折衷；取中間價

You want 100 dollars and I want 60 — let us split the difference and say 80.

Romi offered 900 dollars for the car and the seller wanted 1100, so they split the difference at 1000.

with a difference

idiom

used after a noun to show that something is interesting or unusual in a particular way

與眾不同的；別具一格的

This is a cooking class with a difference — we only use ingredients grown within five kilometres.

Soraya runs a bookshop with a difference: every shelf is organised by colour, not by author.

a world of difference

idiom

used to emphasise that two things are extremely different from each other

天壤之別；截然不同

There is a world of difference between knowing the rules of a language and actually speaking it fluently.

Fresh bread and supermarket bread — there is a world of difference in taste and texture.

bury the hatchet | bury your differences

idiom

To end a disagreement and become friendly again.

和解，擱置分歧

After years of arguing, the two neighbors finally buried the hatchet.

Can you and your sister bury your differences and work together?

a distinction without a difference

idiom

A claimed difference that is not real or meaningful.

無實質差異的區別

Calling it a 'fee' instead of a 'tax' is a distinction without a difference.

The manager's new rule seemed a distinction without a difference to the staff.

make all the difference (to somebody/something)

idiom

To have a very important and positive effect on someone or something.

產生重大影響

A good teacher can make all the difference to a student's success.

Adding fresh herbs made all the difference to the soup's flavor.

sink your differences

idiom

To agree to forget about disagreements in order to achieve something together.

擱置分歧

The two teams sank their differences and worked on the project together.

To win the match, the players had to sink their differences.

a/the world of difference

idiom

A very big difference between two things.

天壤之別

There's a world of difference between knowing and doing.

The new design made a world of difference to the car's performance.

difference — 動詞

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

副詞搭配

常用片語

介系詞搭配