what is the difference between vs what was the difference between

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'What is the difference between' is used when asking about a current or ongoing difference, while 'What was the difference between' is used when referring to a past difference.

Last updated: March 17, 2024

what is the difference between

This phrase is correct and commonly used when asking about a current or ongoing difference.

This phrase is used to inquire about the distinctions or contrasts between two or more things at the present moment.

Examples:

What is the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?
Can you explain what the difference is between these two options?

Alternatives:

What are the differences between
How do these two things differ?
Can you clarify the distinction between
In what ways do these two things contrast?
What sets these two things apart?

what was the difference between

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to a past difference.

This phrase is used to ask about the distinctions or contrasts that existed between two or more things in the past.

Examples:

What was the difference between the old and new versions of the software?
Can you tell me what the difference was between the two teams last season?

Alternatives:

What were the differences between
How did these two things differ in the past?
Can you explain the distinction that existed between
In what ways did these two things contrast in the past?
What set these two things apart in the past?

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

what is the difference between vs what was the difference between