IELTS Grammar 101: Farther vs Further - Learn The Difference

Farther vs Further:

Although they are often used interchangeably, these two words cause a lot of confusion and it’s well worth to spend a few minutes to know the difference between the two.  

• “Farther” can be an adverb or adjective. It can be used when referring to measurable or physical distance.

• “Further”, on the other hand, can be ad adverb, adjective, or verb, and is used to indicate addition.  

These words are often confused – even by native English speakers. So, how to tell the difference between them? In this IELTS Grammar 101, we’ll give you some tips on telling them apart. 

• Difference between farther and further 

• Synonyms of farther and further 

• Use farther and further in a sentence 

Book your IELTS test now

Farther 

• Is an adverb: A word that describes, gives more information about a verb, adjective, adverb or phrase.  

• Is an adjective: A word that describes a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality. 

Further 

• Is an adverb: A word that describes, gives more information about a verb, adjective, adverb or phrase.  

• Is an adjective: A word that describes a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality. Is a verb: A word or phrase that describes an action, condition, or experience.  

Farther 

• A word used to describe when something is more distant than something else, or to describe a verb that results in a greater distance. 

Further 

• A word used to express a relationship to a place or time, or to refer to something additional or to a greater degree. It can also be used to describe distance or refer to the action of moving something forward. 

Farther 

• Could also mean (synonyms): afar, up to a point, to a degree 

Further 

• Synonyms include: far, additionally, more, advance, forward, expedite, hasten   

Farther 

• The heavy rain is blocking my vision, I can’t see farther than 10 metres ahead. 

• How much farther is it until we arrive? 

• The restaurant was farther than I had expected. 

• I’ve moved farther away from my parents. 

Further 

• I never got further than a grade B in school. 

• The cheese experience was further enhanced with the paired wines. 

• As she grew up, she drifted further and further away from her friends. 

• I’ve left my book at the further end of the classroom. 

In written English, it is important to know the correct spelling of a word you want to use. You don’t want to write “weak” when you mean “week” even though they sound the same. In spoken English, spelling is less important, but pronunciation is. Think about the word “lead” which can be pronounced as “led” or “leed.” Because these words cause a lot of confusion, it’s well worth to spend a few minutes to know the difference: homophones vs homographs vs homonyms.

People often use elude when they mean allude, or write allude when they should really write elude. There are other commonly confused words too: Do you know the difference between belief or believe? That is the question of another article where we explain the difference between these two commonly misused words.

Achieving a great IELTS score takes time and planning. You can’t just book and take your test in a matter of days – no matter how strong your English skills are. Successful test takers create a schedule to help them study everything they need to know before they sit an IELTS test. They make time to practise all four English skills – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking – as the format of each part of the test is different.

If they have trouble with a topic, they attend a FREE Masterclass with an IELTS expert who can teach them how to improve. When they’re almost ready to take IELTS, they will complete as many practice tests as they can find. 

So, when there are hundreds of resources to help you study, where do you begin? Click here to access your go-to guide to IELTS preparation. All of our most important materials – both free and paid – are listed here, divided by category.

Start preparing now