Tell apart
/tel əˈpɑːt/B1
PreIntermediate
1. To recognize the difference between two or more similar-looking people or things.
- It can be hard to tell apart the identical twins.
- The two paintings are so similar that only an expert can tell them apart.
- Without her glasses, she couldn't tell apart the twin brothers.
- The birdwatcher could easily tell apart the different species of sparrows.
2. To differentiate between two or more abstract things, such as ideas or concepts.
- Her experience helped her tell apart genuine offers from scams.
- Sometimes it is difficult to tell apart a genuine smile from a fake one.
- He tried to tell apart the facts from the rumors in the story.
- One of the challenges is to tell apart effective measures from ineffective ones.
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