tell the difference

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That mordant humor, however enjoyable, tiptoes around the unanswerable question of how, or even whether, we can tell the difference between cosplay and the real thing.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026

Their measurements allowed them to identify separate stages of cancer development, tell the difference between activated and inactive immune cells, and distinguish cancerous regions from healthy regions in human breast tissue.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

If voters don’t learn to tell the difference, reality will make it clear to them.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

"So for us as an employer, we've got this explosion of applications, and it's harder to tell the difference between those applications," he says.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

She had gotten good at being able to tell the difference in people’s voices, the ones who had said, “Oh, you’re pregnant!” versus “Oh. You’re pregnant.”

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway