Sorry! Search is currently unavailable while the database is being updated, it will be back in 5 mins!

Further and Farther

Two English words that are often a source of confusion are "further" and "farther." Are they the same or not? It doesn't help that many native English speakers get these words mixed up, and that they are handled differently in British and American English. 

banner PLACEHOLDER

In American English, "farther" refers to actual, measurable physical distance:

 

The second stage propelled the spacecraft even farther and faster into space.

Caption 45, Moon Landing: Apollo 11’s Journey to the Moon

 Play Caption

 

He looked out onto the meadow that stretched for as far as he could see and even farther.

Captions 57-59, Story Hour: The Story of The Ugly Duckling

 Play Caption

 

...like with the Andes, or farther inland like the Rocky Mountains.

Caption 63, The Last Paradises: America's National Parks

 Play Caption

 

The word "further," on the other hand, is used when talking about extent, amount, or figurative distance:

 

And we now face further uncertainty.

Caption 5, Brexit: PM Says He Will Pause Brexit Legislation after Timetable Loss

 Play Caption

 

Don't need to look no [sic, any] further.

Caption 4, Adele: The Making of "Chasing Pavements"

 Play Caption

 

First, the Americans released a further three hundred and fifty million dollars. 

Caption 13, BBC News: Western aid for Ukraine's military

 Play Caption

 

In British English, the word "further" is generally used for both physical distance and as a synonym for "more"/"even more," "additional," "extra," or "to a greater extent." "Farther" is still only used for physical distance.

Further Learning
You'll find many examples of "further" or "farther" on Yabla English. When you see these words, pay attention to the accent of the speaker as well as the context the word is used in.


Thanks to you all for reading this, keep up the good work! If you have any good ideas for lesson topics, please email them to us at newsletter@yabla.com, and you can tweet us @yabla.

Vocabulary

You May Also Like