A problem I have seen come up with surprising frequency is confusion over the words “similar” and “identical.”

This comes up most often in technical publications, especially when data is being compared. Here’s an example:

The experimental data showed the results in this study to be almost similar to the previous results.

(The emphasis above is mine.)

My preferred dictionary, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, shows this:

similar

adjective

1:  having characteristics in common:  very much alike:  comparable

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Think about it: How could something be “almost very much alike”? If you’re thinking that this is unclear and that the author actually meant something else, I believe that you’re on the right track.

It’s very likely that the author meant this:

The experimental data showed the results in this study to be almost identical to the previous results.

(Again, the emphasis above is mine.)

Let’s look at the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary definition for “identical”:

identical

adjective

1:  expressing or effecting identity — used chiefly of propositions in logic and of equations and operations in mathematics 

2:  being the same:  having complete identity

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The key part of the definition here is “being the same.” Using “identical” would be a much clearer way of the expressing the idea given in the example.

Subtleties in language do make a difference and the incorrect word choice can confuse or distort the intended meaning.

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