Aid vs. Help — What's the Difference?

A grant of temporary assistance.

The act of assisting or making easier.

Relief or support given during distress.

To improve a situation.

In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Aid may serve one or more functions: it may be given as a signal of diplomatic approval, or to strengthen a military ally, to reward a government for behavior desired by the donor, to extend the donor's cultural influence, to provide infrastructure needed by the donor for resource extraction from the recipient country, or to gain other kinds of commercial access.

To prevent something.

Help, typically of a practical nature

To serve or benefit.

A grant of subsidy or tax to a king or queen.

Make it easier or possible for (someone) to do something by offering them one's services or resources

Help or support (someone or something) in the achievement of something

Serve someone with (food or drink)

To provide assistance, support, or relief to

Cannot or could not avoid

To provide assistance, support, or relief

The action of helping someone to do something

The act or result of helping; assistance

Used as an appeal for urgent assistance

Something that provides help, support, or relief, such as money or supplies

To give assistance to (someone); make it easier for (someone) to do something; aid

Something, such as a device, that provides improvement

To give material or financial aid to

An assistant or helper.

To wait on, as in a store or restaurant

An aide or aide-de-camp.

To contribute to the effectiveness or improvement of (something); improve or advance

A monetary payment to a feudal lord by a vassal in medieval England.

To ease the pain or discomfort of; relieve

(uncountable) Help; assistance; succor, relief.

To refrain from; avoid or resist. Used with can or cannot

(countable) A helper; an assistant.

To be of service; give assistance

(countable) Something which helps; a material source of help.

To be of use or provide relief

An historical subsidy granted to the crown by Parliament for an extraordinary purpose, such as a war effort.

The action of helping; assistance

An exchequer loan.

One that helps

A pecuniary tribute paid by a vassal to his feudal lord on special occasions.

(Archaic) A person employed to help, especially a farm worker or domestic servant.

(countable) an aide-de-camp

Such employees considered as a group. Often used with the.

The rider's use of hands, legs, voice, etc. to control the horse.

(uncountable) Action given to provide assistance; aid.

(transitive) To provide support to; to further the progress of; to help; to assist.

Something or someone which provides assistance with a task.

(climbing) To climb with the use of aids such as pitons.

Documentation provided with computer software, etc. and accessed using the computer.

To support, either by furnishing strength or means in coöperation to effect a purpose, or to prevent or to remove evil; to help; to assist.

One or more people employed to help in the maintenance of a house or the operation of a farm or enterprise.

Help; succor; assistance; relief.

(uncountable) Correction of deficits, as by psychological counseling or medication or social support or remedial training.

The person or thing that promotes or helps in something done; a helper; an assistant.

(transitive) To provide assistance to (someone or something).

A subsidy granted to the king by Parliament; also, an exchequer loan.

(transitive) To assist (a person) in getting something, especially food or drink at table; used with to.

A pecuniary tribute paid by a vassal to his lord on special occasions.

(transitive) To contribute in some way to.

An aid-de-camp, so called by abbreviation; as, a general's aid.

(intransitive) To provide assistance.

A resource;

(transitive) To avoid; to prevent; to refrain from; to restrain (oneself). Usually used in nonassertive contexts with can.

The activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose;

A cry of distress or an urgent request for assistance

A gift of money to support a worthy person or cause

To furnish with strength or means for the successful performance of any action or the attainment of any object; to aid; to assist; as, to help a man in his work; to help one to remember; - the following infinitive is commonly used without to; as, "Help me scale yon balcony."

The work of caring for or attending to someone or something;

To furnish with the means of deliverance from trouble; as, to help one in distress; to help one out of prison.

Give help or assistance; be of service;

To furnish with relief, as in pain or disease; to be of avail against; - sometimes with of before a word designating the pain or disease, and sometimes having such a word for the direct object.

Improve the condition of;

To change for the better; to remedy.

Assistance, particularly in material or financial form.

To prevent; to hinder; as, the evil approaches, and who can help it?

A tool or device designed to assist.

To forbear; to avoid.

The act of helping or assisting.

To wait upon, as the guests at table, by carving and passing food.

To lend aid or assistance; to contribute strength or means; to avail or be of use; to assist.

Strength or means furnished toward promoting an object, or deliverance from difficulty or distress; aid; ^; also, the person or thing furnishing the aid; as, he gave me a help of fifty dollars.

Remedy; relief; as, there is no help for it.

A helper; one hired to help another; also, thew hole force of hired helpers in any business.

Specifically, a domestic servant, man or woman.

The activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose;

A resource;

A means of serving;

A person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose;

Give help or assistance; be of service;

Be of use;

Improve the condition of;

Abstain from doing; always used with a negative;

Contribute to the furtherance of;

Improve; change for the better;

Help to some food; help with food or drink;

Take or use;

A means of remedy or assistance.

A common tool referred to as an aid might be a "hearing aid."

Yes, both can be nouns (e.g., "financial aid" or "can you give me some help?") and verbs (e.g., "aiding in research" or "helping with chores").

While they have similar meanings, their use depends on context; they aren't always interchangeable.

"Foreign aid" typically means resources, often financial, given from one country to another.

Yes, Help is versatile and fits both formal and informal situations.

Yes, while often used for tangible support, it can also refer to emotional or psychological assistance.

"Self-help" refers to the act of bettering oneself without relying on others.

Yes, "Aid" is common in humanitarian, medical, and international contexts, while "Help" is ubiquitous.

No, Aid can be in various forms, including knowledge, expertise, or physical assistance.

Help is broader, encompassing various forms of assistance, while Aid often denotes specific or formalized support.

"Aiding" and "helping" are the verb forms; however, "help" is more commonly used unchanged as a verb.

Yes, e.g., "The measures did not aid the situation" or "That won't help matters."

"Can't help but..." is an idiomatic expression, as in "I can't help but smile."

While understandable, "Help me with my work" is more idiomatic and natural.

Help has more variants (e.g., helper, helpful, helplessly) than Aid.