Summary Use alphabetical to describe things that are in order according to the letters of the alphabet. Use alphabetic for of or relating to an alphabet. Alphabetic and alphabetical share the sense arranged in order according to the alphabet, but alphabetical is far more common in this ... Read more
Botanic vs. botanical
For the adjective meaning of or relating to botany or the cultivation of plants, botanic and botanical are both acceptable, and there is no difference between them, but botanical is more common in 21st-century English. Botanic was more common up to the 20th century but has gradually faded out of ... Read more
Electric, electrical, electronic
Electrical, electric, and electronic share much common ground, and they are interchangeable in many uses, but it’s possible to sketch rough differences between them. Electrical means of or relating to electricity, and it’s used for things that generate or process electricity---for example, ... Read more
Classic vs. classical
Classical has a few narrow definitions, including (1) of or relating to the ancient Greeks or Romans, (2) of or relating to a peak stage of a civilization, and (3) of or relating to European orchestral music of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These aren't the only definitions of classical. ... Read more
Comic vs. comical
As an adjective, comic means characteristic or having to do with comedy.1 Comical is a synonym of funny.2 Dictionaries list them as variants of each other, and mixing them up is not an error, but they're generally kept separate in edited writing. Related -ic/-ical words Both words derive ... Read more
Dialectal vs. dialectical
Dialectal is the adjective corresponding to the noun dialect (and dialect refers to a a variety of a language peculiar to a particular region or group). Dialectical is a less common variant of the adjective dialectic, which relates to logical argumentation and contradictory forces. The word ... Read more
Problematic vs. problematical
Problematic and problematical are different forms of the same word. Both mean (1) posing a problem, (2) open to debate, and (3) unsettled. Though they're both listed in most dictionaries, problematic is more common in 21st-century edited writing. Problematical isn't incorrect---and, in fact, it was ... Read more
Polemic vs. polemical
Polemic is a noun referring to a controversial argument hostilely refuting a specific belief or opinion. Polemical is an adjective meaning of or relating to controversy, refutation, or hostile argument. The words were variants of each other when they came to English from the French ... Read more
Periodic vs. periodical
Something that is periodic (1) happens at regular intervals, or (2) is intermittent. Periodical means published at regular intervals, and it doubles as a noun referring to something that is published at regular intervals. The words were originally variants of each other, and some dictionaries ... Read more
Historic vs. historical
Definitions and usage Historic: 1. momentous; 2. historically significant. Historical: 1. of or relating to history; 2. of or relating to the past. The words were originally synonyms---with historic developing second as a shortened historical---but they began to diverge in meaning ... Read more
