Farther and further are two words that are easy to mix up in writing and speech. They look and sound alike and have almost identical meanings.
However, there is a small difference that can help you tell them apart and use them correctly. Knowing this can prevent you from making a major grammar mistake!
Definitions
For many English speakers, it can be difficult to decide which word to use when talking about the greater distances. The words farther and further are often used interchangeably and sound almost the same when pronounced or written, making it easy to forget which one is correct.
Further is a more diverse word than farther, and it can be used as an adverb or adjective to describe something as additional or greater in degree. It also has a verb meaning to advance or help something go forward in a metaphorical sense.
Farther, on the other hand, is primarily used to refer to physical distances and measurable time. It’s also a very common term to describe figurative distances and goals.
In the past, both of these words were used interchangeably and haven’t really diverged from each other in usage until recently. However, there are many writing style guides and dictionaries that recommend that you use further only for figurative distances, and farther only for measurable ones.
Usage
Farther and further are two words that sound, spell, and often have the same meaning. This can make it difficult to tell them apart and choose which one is correct for a particular situation.
Further is an adverb that means to a greater extent or in addition to, whereas farther refers to physical distances or figurative distances. It also means to a greater degree of advancement, as in a person stretching out their arms further.
It can also be used as a verb. For example, a person could further their education by obtaining a master’s degree.
The main difference between further and farther is that farther is used for physical distances, while further is more suitable for figurative distances. This is why many usage guides recommend that you use farther for literal distance and further for figurative.
Pronunciation
Farther and further are two words that look and sound very similar and have almost identical meanings. They’re easy to mix up in both speech and writing, but knowing the difference and using them correctly is important.
Further is used for figurative distances, while farther refers to physical distances. Many people use both words to mean “more distant.” However, American English speakers tend to favor farther for physical distances and further for figurative ones.
Mistakes
Grammarly, as you might know, claims to help you avoid spelling and grammar mistakes in all your writing. It even helps you improve your word choice and use commas correctly, so you can make sure your writing is extra polished wherever you write.
But that’s not all. While Grammarly’s advertising makes it seem like it’s able to catch mistakes you might not otherwise notice, many of its “fixes” are unhelpful or actively wrong.
One of the most common grammar mistakes people make is using farther instead of further when talking about distance. This is a problem because further is generally used to mean measurable distance (such as kilometers or miles), whereas farther is a more comparative term for far that refers to physical, metaphorical or figurative distance.
This is because further is a contraction for “they’re,” whereas farther is an adverb that means “nearer.” It’s important to note that you should always consider the part of speech when using words.