17 examples of things that almost always confuse people
Who has never been confused or had to think twice before differentiating concrete from concrete, crocodile alligator, alpaca llama and boat ship? For Giedrè from Bored Panda has shared an interesting list full of such examples - and brief explanations that help distinguish one thing from another - and you can check out a selection below:
1 - Stalactites x Stalagmites
This is easy, right? Stalactites are the formations that appear in the cave ceilings, while stalagmites form on the floor of these caves.
2 - Cement x concrete
While cement works as an "alloy" that hardens into a solid element, concrete is made from a mixture of sand, gravel and ... cement.
3 - Emoji x Emoticon
Emojis are smiley designs, while emoticons are representations created from typographic strings.
4 - Boats x Ships
Boats are vessels under 500 tonnes and allowed to sail in more restricted areas. The ships are those with more than 500 tons and can operate on the high seas and ocean regions.
5 - Ethnicity x nationality
People of the same ethnicity are those who share the same cultural, national or racial background, while nationality refers to an individual's right to "belong" to a particular country.
6 - Butter x margarine
While butter is produced from milk, margarine is made from vegetable oil.
7 - Champagne x Sparkling
Champagne is the bebiba produced in the Champagne region of France, and sparkling wines are not produced there.
8 - Alligators x Crocodiles
Did you know that alligators have a rounded muzzle while crocodiles have a V-shape?
9 - Huskies x Malamutes
While malamutes originate from Alaska, the huskies originate from Siberia and the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions - and are faster and two to three times smaller than their American "brothers".
10 - Llamas x Alpacas
Llamas have longer, curved ears and their heads are larger than those of alpacas, which are also smaller in size and have shorter, spear-shaped ears.
11 - Tortoises x Turtles
Tortoises spend most of their time in the water, while turtles are land animals.
[Update] Based on comments our readers made, we realized that the distinction offered by Bored Panda was very vague and decided to include this clarification note: tortoises are turtles that spend much of their life in freshwater and count with membranes between the digits of the paws, while the turtles comprise marine species, freshwater and the terrestrial turtles that, here in Brazil, are also called jabutis. Thank you guys! ;)
12 - Seals x Sea Lions
In addition to the seals being covered with fur, they have long claws and ear holes. Already sea lions have shorter claws, a less abundant coat and small ears.
13 - Labrador x Golden Retriever
Labradors have medium snouts and come in three different solid colors, Golden have light caramel coat and longer snouts.
14 - Dolphins x porpoises
Dolphins are social animals with conical teeth and are larger than dolphins, which are shy and have spade-shaped teeth.
15 - Armadillo x Pangolin
While the armadillos' bodies are protected by banded armor, the pangolin's bodies are covered by sharp leaf-shaped scales.
16 - Bees x Wasps
Bees are pollinating animals that live in wax hives with elongated and rounder bodies, while wasps are predatory animals that hunt almost every kind of insect, have long, thinner bodies and live in “nests” looking like to be made of paper.
17 - Mice x mice
Mice are rodents of the size of a sparrow, while rats are much larger, measuring between 18 and 25 centimeters in length.
Want to see a whole bunch of things that “look but aren't”? Check out the stories we selected for you below:
- 20 times the top head made someone see the bottom head
- 16 famous cases that are extremely similar
- 15 images of things that aren't quite what they appear to be
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