English–French
“tell apart” in French
French
Pronunciation
IPA/distɛ̃ge/
Example
Je ne peux pas distinguer ces deux couleurs.
I can't tell these two colors apart.
How to say “tell apart” in French
“Tell apart” in French is distinguer.
Two nearly identical things stand side by side, with a perceptual or mental boundary making their difference clear.
Example sentences with distinguer
Au téléphone, on peut parfois difficilement distinguer une voix.
On the phone, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish a voice.
Tips for using distinguer
- Distinguer A de B is the usual pattern for telling two things apart, while faire la distinction entre A et B expresses the same contrast with a noun.