Little-Small | Commonly Confused Words

Little

/ˈlɪtl/

Small in size, amount, or degree; not much

It wants constant attention in the littlest things.It terrified her not a little."A little over a year."

/smɔːl/

Having little size or dimension; not large.

They live in a small town.It's sleeker and smaller.Every smallest part of each tooth was burnt into my mind.

Little often suggests affection or endearment, while small is neutral.
Small describes size, while little can imply more about quantity or degree.
Use little for uncountable nouns, but small with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Little can emphasize insignificance, whereas small is purely physical.
In some cases, little can connote less maturity or youth.