Whts the defference between especial and special?

Question

yeah there is a slight different between them.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hi;

When there is apt to be confusion between two words, you can often find the differences in the "usage" section of an on-line dictionary. You might have to look under both entries to find the usage section.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/especial:

World English Dictionary
especial
— adj
1. unusual; notable; exceptional: he paid especial attention to her that evening
2. applying to one person or thing in particular; not general; specific; peculiar: he had an especial dislike of relatives

usage Especial and especially have a more limited use than special and specially. Special is always used in preference to especial when the sense is one of being out of the ordinary: a special lesson; he has been specially trained. Special is also used when something is referred to as being for a particular purpose: the word was specially underlined for you. Where an idea of pre-eminence or individuality is involved, either especial or special may be used: he is my especial (or special ) friend; he is especially (or specially ) good at his job. In informal English, however, special is usually preferred in all contexts.

And a second:

—Usage note
In American English the adjective special is overwhelmingly more common than especial in all senses: He will be of special help if you can't understand the documentation. The reverse is true of the adverbs; here especially is by far the more common: He will be of great help, especially if you have trouble understanding the documentation. Only when the sense “specifically” is intended is specially more idiomatic: The machine was specially designed for use by a left-handed operator.

Whts the defference between especial and special?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions