Historic and Historical are two subtle grammar rules that may throw writers off, but with practice it becomes easy to master both issues as well as more challenging ones such as Entrain vs Entrails and Stationary Vs Elicit.
Keep this distinction in mind by considering historic as an adjective, and historical as a noun. When speaking about significant events or buildings, use historic.
What’s the Difference?
Historic is an adjective used to refer to objects, documents and events that play a significant role in history. Being classified as historic indicates both its importance at its time of creation as well as relevance today – for instance a historical map may have been used to plan an important battle or document city founding, while an 18th-century text like the Declaration of Independence or Bible can still qualify as historic text.
Historical is an umbrella term, used to refer to anything from years gone by that can be defined by date and location. You might encounter the word when discussing history through fiction or buildings that date back, like historical fiction or historic buildings. Furthermore, using “historical” denotes something significant enough that its worth discussing today; such as eating banana ketchup for breakfast being considered historic while the American Civil War or Great Wall of China could both qualify. Therefore visiting an “old building” might not be as exciting compared with visiting either Grand Canyon or Great Wall of China!
What’s the Difference Between the Words?
Historic and historical can be easily mistaken, yet have very different meanings. Historic is used to refer to something significant or important from the past such as an historic battle site, England’s 1966 World Cup win or Magna Carta; historical refers to things which took place but weren’t particularly noteworthy like Anne Frank’s house or Shakespearean works first printed edition.
Historic and historical words often require either an article (a or an), though a is generally more popular due to how most English speakers pronounce these words with an audible “h” instead of silently as is seen in other dialects, like British. Although both articles can be used, in American English a is generally the more preferred one due to this difference between pronunciation. Of course, the difference can be subtle yet significant!
What’s the Difference Between the Adjectives?
Historic and historical are both descriptive adjectives, but each have different connotations. Historic is used to refer to something notable or significant from the past while historical is more generic and may describe any aspect of past events.
Many people become confused between historic and historical, since both begin with “h” and end with an “ic or ical.” To help clear up any potential confusion, think of history as specific events or people that occurred in history while historical refers to something generally from the past.
How you pronounce an H is also key. If it is silent and not audible, write “historic.” Otherwise write “historical.”
Once you understand the differences between these two words, they become easier to use in writing. Utilizing the appropriate word will make your writing clearer and more professional; so investing time and energy to become acquainted with both is well worth your while.
What’s the Difference Between the Words in Phrases?
Many English speakers misuse the words historic and historical interchangeably, when in reality there is a clear distinction. An event or object considered historic includes integration of segregated schools or march on Washington in 1963; building districts with historically significant locations; landmark buildings or landmarks recognized by society – while travel to Italy might not qualify as historical.
Spelling does not impact its meaning; rather, its spelling depends on your pronunciation of the letter H; therefore whether to add an or no an depends on that h sound in particular dialects – in American dialects this usually corresponds with hero and habit h sounds, so always write “historic”. With hard h sounds in British dialects however, alternative options such as using an instead may apply.
