French word

distinguer

Pronunciation

IPA/distɛ̃ge/

Meaning

  • verbtell apart

Example

Je ne peux pas distinguer ces deux couleurs.

I can't tell these two colors apart.

Illustration for distinguer (tell apart)

More examples

Au téléphone, on peut parfois difficilement distinguer une voix.

On the phone, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish a voice.

Core concept

Two nearly identical things stand side by side, with a perceptual or mental boundary making their difference clear.

Common phrases

  • distinguer le vrai du faux

    distinguish true from false

  • distinguer une personne

    distinguish a person

  • distinguer les sons

    distinguish sounds

Similar words

différencier: To distinguish things by differences in their appearance or qualities.
discerner: To notice subtle differences or important points through careful attention.
reconnaître: To know that a person or thing has been seen before.
identifier: To determine a person's or thing's name or type.

Definition in French

Observer par les sens ou par la réflexion ce qui différencie deux choses proches.

Word origin

French distinguer comes from Latin distinguere through Old French and retains the idea of marking one thing as different from another.

Usage tips

  • 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.

Other meanings

  • identifyverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word