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Glite Dictionary
to tell apart

to tell apart

41 3.0
To notice a difference between two similar things
  • phrasal verb
  • /tɛl əˈpɑrt/
translation icon : distinguir
  • If you look closely, you can tell apart the two paintings based on their colors.
  • able to tell apart
  • hard to tell apart
  • easy to tell apart

It could not, in fact, tell apart dogs from cats.

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Examples

  • On the telephone, I can't tell her voice apart from her daughter's.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Even under the microscope, it is hard to tell the two species apart.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Well, how can you tell them apart?

    Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)

  • Could she tell them apart?

    My Pet Dinosaur (2017)

  • I can never tell them apart.

    Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

  • Hard to tell them apart.

    Jack Reacher (2012)

  • In order to tell them apart, we focus on differences between them.

    Academic text (2006)

  • "Sometimes Mother could tell us apart only by looking at our knees."

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Indeed, in the philosophy of science, it is often difficult to tell realists and antirealists apart.

    Academic text (1991)

  • And you know, DNA can't really tell us apart, but this tool is one of the only tools in the world that can tell twins apart from each other.

    Lex Fridman

Synonyms

to spot
vsto tell apart
576 2.1

To notice someone or something, especially when it is hard

describes general recognition of differences rather than just noticing presence
to separate
vsto tell apart
225 2.3

To tell how two things are different

means recognizing difference but without focusing on arranging or sorting
to distinguish
vsto tell apart
177 3.1

To notice differences between things or people

is the general everyday phrase for recognizing such differences
to differentiate
vsto tell apart
71 4.4

To show or notice how things are different

focuses on the act of recognizing difference rather than changing things
to discern
vsto tell apart
70 5.8

To notice something that is hard to see or hear

refers to recognizing differences generally rather than the hard sensing process
to pick out
vsto tell apart
64 3.0

Notice a sound or sight among other things

names the general recognition of difference rather than sensory identification
to secern
vsto tell apart
  • Archaic
9.9

To tell similar things apart by noticing small differences

names the broader act of recognizing differences rather than the separation method
to secernate
vsto tell apart
  • Archaic
9.9

To show that two people or things are not the same

refers more generally to recognizing differences rather than marking them

Antonyms

to confuse
142 1.9

Think one person or thing is another by mistake

How Distinct

to distinguish
177 3.1
to tell apart
41 3.0
to separate
225 2.3

Surface Forms

tell apart infinitive
telling apart present participle
tells apart third person singular
told apart past
told apart past participle

Morphology

tell + apart

The meaning 'to recognize or distinguish' is directly derivable from combining 'tell' (to perceive/identify) with 'apart' (separately/into distinct pieces) — essentially perceiving items as separate. This verb+particle composition is a regular, compositional English pattern and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Tell apart paints a simple picture: when two things look almost the same, you tell (say) which is which and put them apart in your mind so you can see the small differences. That's why it means 'to recognize or show the difference between two or more things'.