✅ Identify means to recognize someone or something as a particular person or thing (She could identify the handwriting as being her sister’s).

✅ Pinpoint means to locate or describe something exactly, as if you were putting a pin in it (pinpoint the location).

✅ Pinpoint can sometimes be used interchangeably with identify: you can both identify and pinpoint a problem or cause, for instance.

✅ Pinpoint suggests a narrow and exact, and sometimes more accurate, understanding or identification, while identify sometimes, but not always, suggests a less narrow recognition (We identified what was wrong, and then pinpointed the specific issue).

Pinpoint holes in your vocabulary with these synonyms.

✅ Purple describes something that is a color between red and blue. Purple clothes have been historically worn by people of a high social rank, and it’s still sometimes associated with power (a purple robe; a purple bruise).

✅ Periwinkle describes a particularly bluish purple, close to violet, and is neither particularly light nor particularly deep (He wanted the wedding bouquet to be periwinkle and sage green).

✅ Purple covers a spectrum of colors between red and blue, and periwinkle is very close to the blue end of that spectrum (The periwinkle walls didn’t contrast well against the light blue curtains; He looked good in his purple suit).

✅ Periwinkle is a less common word, and more specific. It’s also one of the less royal shades of purple!

Describe something periwinkle that you’ve seen, with the help of Grammar Coach.

✅ Blue describes something that is the color of the clear sky (The car was a lovely light blue).

✅ Azure describes a light, slightly purplish blue, like a particularly bright and clear summer sky—or the archetypal color of the Caribbean sea (The travel brochure showcased the azure seas and the sandy beaches).

✅ Blue covers a spectrum of colors between green and purple, and azure is very slightly toward the purple end of that spectrum (His fingers were blue with cold; My new azure coat made me feel summery).

✅ Azure is a less common word, but people often use it when they’re describing an idyllic beach scene.

Try describing something azure that you’ve seen, with the help of Grammar Coach.