HISTORIC vs HISTORICAL: spelling and usage tips to help you remember the difference

HISTORIC vs HISTORICAL: simple spelling and usage tips to remember the difference

The words HISTORIC and HISTORICAL are easy to confuse because they come from the same root, but there are subtle and important differences in their meanings, which you don’t want to mess up!

Here are my simple tips to remember the difference between HISTORIC and HISTORICAL.

When to use historic

HISTORIC is an adjective, usually paired with words like ‘defeat’, ‘victory’ or ‘day’.

It refers to an event, place or item that’s significant in history – such as the site of an important battle, England’s 1966 World Cup win or the Magna Carta.

You can use HISTORIC in a sentence like this:

“This day marks 56 years since England’s HISTORIC football match against Germany.”

When to use historical

HISTORICAL is an adjective referring to something that happened in the past. You might use it to describe a Jane Austen novel or an old map.

HISTORICAL is commonly used with words like ‘event’ or ‘record’.

You can use HISTORICAL in a sentence like this:

“The article provides a detailed HISTORICAL account of the event.”

Any day that happened in the past can be described as ‘a HISTORICAL day’, while only the most significant are HISTORIC.

Now you know the difference between HISTORIC and HISTORICAL you can rest easy, knowing you’ll never mix up your HISTORIC with your HISTORICAL days ever again! I hope these tips help you to remember the difference between these commonly confused words in the future.

Get more tips in The Little Book of Confusables

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