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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. 

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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

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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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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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.


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Vocabulary

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