Joyous-Joyful | Commonly Confused Words

Joyous

/ˈdʒɔɪəs/

Feeling or expressing great happiness and delight

/ˈdʒɔɪfəl/

Feeling, showing, or causing great happiness or delight

Both joyous and joyful describe a state of happiness, but they are used in slightly different contexts.
Joyful often describes a person's internal emotion or state.
Joyous can describe both a person's feelings and the atmosphere or occasion that promotes happiness.
Think of joyful as being filled with joy as a personal experience.
Consider joyous as radiating joy or being characteristic of an event or situation.