Bother-Disturb | Commonly Confused Words

Bother

/ˈbɒðə/

To cause someone to feel worried, anxious, or annoyed

Something bothering you?"But the soil bothered him.To this amorous address Miss Brass briefly responded 'Bother!'

/dɪˈstɜːb/

To interrupt or upset someone or something

"But too well, and that disturbs me.'I wonder,' I said, 'what the papers Ursula Bourne disturbed were?'Who is disturbing me?'

Both bother and disturb imply causing inconvenience, but bother is often used for minor annoyances.
Bother can imply an emotional or psychological effect, whereas disturb may imply interference with an ongoing activity or state.
When someone is bothered, it might not always involve direct action or noise, but disturb often involves an action that interrupts.
Bother is more casual and commonly used in daily conversations, while disturb can appear in more formal contexts.
If youre bothered by something, it might simply annoy you, but if youre disturbed, it might interrupt your peace or concentration.