Replace-Substitute | Commonly Confused Words

Replace

/rɪˈpleɪs/

To take the position of something else that was there before

Imagination has replaced reality.You talked to Gil Case about her replacing Terry King.Who replaces her Monday for the Philadelphia opening?"

/ˈsʌbstɪtjuːt/

A person or thing that takes the place of another

It was substituted for the other immediately after the murder.A substitute for a Fire.We each had a second bowl of the substitute rice.

Think of replace when you entirely remove something and put another in its place; it's a complete switch.
Use substitute when an item stands in for another, often temporarily or in a similar role.
Replace often implies permanence, while substitute can imply a temporary solution.
Remember replace as remove and renew—taking something out and putting something new permanently.
Think of substitute as standing in for another, like a substitute teacher fills in for the original one.