tell apart
phrasal verb
told apart; telling apart; tells apart
: to see what the differences are between (people or things) : to identify (people or things that look similar to each other)
It's hard to tell the twins apart.
Examples of tell apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The dog-show dogs are adorable, splendid, perfect … and often kind of hard to tell apart?
—
Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
The market is filled with capable, competent organizations that are increasingly hard to tell apart because efficiency trumps customer experience.
—Susan Lamotte, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Potential uses beyond research User studies showed participants could locate pixels, detect motion, and tell apart spatial patterns using touch with millimeter-level accuracy.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Even the internals are difficult to tell apart, though a close inspection will reveal subtle differences in the heat pipes and cooling fans.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Sep. 2025
From iPhone Air to iPhone 17 Pro Max: What these new models mean
The net result is three new, very distinct iPhone designs that not only make the various models easier to tell apart but also make the experience of using them very different.
—Bob O’Donnell, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Not bad for a Batman also-ran, who is part of a class of Brit invaders that some often can’t tell apart (George MacKay and Harris Dickinson, anyone?).
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 14 July 2025
Most people have three types of cones and can tell apart several million types of colors.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2025
While different, both are often symptomatically hard to tell apart.
—New Atlas, 5 Feb. 2025
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Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
The market is filled with capable, competent organizations that are increasingly hard to tell apart because efficiency trumps customer experience.
—Susan Lamotte, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Potential uses beyond research User studies showed participants could locate pixels, detect motion, and tell apart spatial patterns using touch with millimeter-level accuracy.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Even the internals are difficult to tell apart, though a close inspection will reveal subtle differences in the heat pipes and cooling fans.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Sep. 2025
From iPhone Air to iPhone 17 Pro Max: What these new models mean
The net result is three new, very distinct iPhone designs that not only make the various models easier to tell apart but also make the experience of using them very different.
—Bob O’Donnell, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Not bad for a Batman also-ran, who is part of a class of Brit invaders that some often can’t tell apart (George MacKay and Harris Dickinson, anyone?).
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 14 July 2025
Most people have three types of cones and can tell apart several million types of colors.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2025
While different, both are often symptomatically hard to tell apart.
—New Atlas, 5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tell apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20apart. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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