Omit vs. Skip — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 5, 2024
Omitting involves leaving out or excluding something, often deliberately or due to oversight, while skipping suggests intentionally bypassing or ignoring something.
Difference Between Omit and Skip
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Omitting generally refers to the exclusion of elements or details, either intentionally due to irrelevance or by mistake, implying a more passive action. For example, an author may omit unnecessary details from a story to maintain its pace. On the other hand, skipping is a more active decision to pass over something, often with the implication of saving time or avoiding displeasure. For instance, a reader might skip pages in a book that they find boring.
While omitting is commonly associated with textual or informational content, indicating a gap or absence that may not be immediately noticeable, skipping is frequently used in contexts involving sequences or steps, such as instructions or events, and is usually evident. A cook might omit a spice from a recipe without it being noticed until the dish is tasted, whereas skipping a step in the cooking process, like not letting dough rise, has obvious consequences.
Omitting can sometimes be inadvertent or due to negligence, especially in formal or detailed work where precision is expected, such as in legal documents or academic papers. Conversely, skipping is generally a conscious choice, often made with an understanding of the potential consequences, such as skipping a class or a meeting.
In technical or programming contexts, omitting refers to not including certain data or commands which can alter the functionality or output subtly. Whereas, skipping in this context might refer to intentionally bypassing sections of code, such as loops or conditional statements, which leads to a more noticeable change in behavior or output.
Omission can sometimes be rectified by adding the omitted detail without much disruption, as it often involves finer details or subtleties. However, skipping usually requires going back to address the missed part or accepting the gap, as it often involves more significant segments or steps.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
To leave out or exclude, either intentionally or by oversight.
To intentionally bypass or ignore something.
Context of Usage
Textual or informational content, legal documents, academic papers.
Sequences, steps, instructional content, events.
Intentionality
Can be unintentional or deliberate.
Generally intentional.
Consequence of Action
May go unnoticed until missing elements are sought.
Evident, especially if steps or sequences are involved.
Correction Possibility
Can often be rectified subtly by adding the omitted details.
Usually requires revisiting the skipped part or accepting the gap.
Compare with Definitions
Omit
Failure to perform an action or mention.
He omitted mentioning the key witness in his report.
Skip
To move ahead or pass over something.
He decided to skip the introduction and go straight to the first chapter.
Omit
Exclusion due to oversight or choice.
Due to space constraints, the editor had to omit several entries.
Skip
Intentionally avoiding or bypassing.
They chose to skip the meeting in favor of finishing the project.
Omit
To skip over details intentionally or accidentally.
In her haste, she omitted several important steps.
Skip
To fail to attend or participate.
He skipped class to work on his essay.
Omit
Not to include part of something.
The recipe suggested omitting salt for a healthier version.
Skip
To omit or disregard on purpose.
She skipped the difficult questions until the end.
Omit
To leave something out or not include.
She decided to omit the controversial chapter from her book.
Skip
To leap over or bypass steps.
In the tutorial, it suggests skipping the optional settings for now.
Omit
To fail to include or mention; leave out
Omitted an important detail from the report.
Skip
Move along lightly, stepping from one foot to the other with a hop or bounce
She began to skip down the path
Omit
To fail or neglect to do (something)
Omitted his daily walk during our visit.
Skip
Jump over a rope which is held at both ends by oneself or two other people and turned repeatedly over the head and under the feet, as a game or for exercise
Training was centred on running and skipping
Omit
To fail or neglect (to do something)
I omitted to mention that I don't eat meat.
Skip
Omit (part of a book that one is reading, or a stage in a sequence that one is following)
The video manual allows the viewer to skip sections he's not interested in
Omit
(transitive) To leave out or exclude.
Skip
Fail to attend or deal with as appropriate; miss
Try not to skip breakfast
I wanted to skip my English lesson to visit my mother
Omit
(intransitive) To fail to perform.
Skip
Throw (a stone) so that it ricochets off the surface of water
They skipped stones across the creek
Omit
To delete or remove; to strike.
Skip
Act as skip of (a side)
They lost to another Stranraer team, skipped by Peter Wilson
Omit
To neglect or take no notice of.
Skip
A light, bouncing step; a skipping movement
He moved with a strange, dancing skip
Omit
To let go; to leave unmentioned; not to insert or name; to drop.
These personal comparisons I omit.
Skip
An act of passing over part of a sequence of data or instructions.
Omit
To forbear or fail to perform or to make use of; to leave undone; to neglect; to pass over.
Her father omitted nothing in her education that might make her the most accomplished woman of her age.
Skip
A person who is missing, especially one who has defaulted on a debt.
Omit
Prevent from being included or considered or accepted;
The bad results were excluded from the report
Leave off the top piece
Skip
A large transportable open-topped container for building and other refuse
I've salvaged a carpet from a skip
Omit
Leave undone or leave out;
How could I miss that typo?
The workers on the conveyor belt miss one out of ten
Skip
A cage or bucket in which men or materials are lowered and raised in mines and quarries.
Skip
The captain or director of a side at bowls or curling.
Skip
To move by hopping on one foot and then the other.
Skip
To leap lightly about.
Skip
To bounce over or be deflected from a surface; skim or ricochet
Threw the stone so it skipped over the water.
Skip
To pass from point to point, omitting or disregarding what intervenes
Skipped through the list hurriedly.
Skipping over the dull passages in the novel.
Skip
To be promoted in school beyond the next regular class or grade.
Skip
(Informal) To leave hastily; abscond
Skipped out of town.
Skip
To misfire. Used of an engine.
Skip
To leap or jump lightly over
Skip rope.
Skip
To pass over without mentioning; omit
Skipped the minor details of the story.
Skip
To miss or omit as one in a series
My heart skipped a beat.
Skip
To cause to bounce lightly over a surface; skim.
Skip
To be promoted beyond (the next grade or level).
Skip
(Informal) To leave hastily
The fugitive skipped town.
Skip
(Informal) To fail to attend
We skipped science class again.
Skip
A leaping or jumping movement, especially a gait in which hops and steps alternate.
Skip
An act of passing over something; an omission.
Skip
A control mechanism on an audio or video player that interrupts the playing of a recording and advances or reverses to the beginning of the nearest chapter, track, or other division.
Skip
A container for receiving, transporting, and dumping waste materials.
Skip
(intransitive) To move by hopping on alternate feet.
She will skip from one end of the sidewalk to the other.
Skip
(intransitive) To leap about lightly.
Skip
(intransitive) To skim, ricochet or bounce over a surface.
The rock will skip across the pond.
Skip
(transitive) To throw (something), making it skim, ricochet, or bounce over a surface.
I bet I can skip this rock to the other side of the pond.
Skip
(transitive) To disregard, miss or omit part of a continuation (some item or stage).
My heart will skip a beat.
I will read most of the book, but skip the first chapter because the video covered it.
Skip
Not to attend (some event, especially a class or a meeting).
Yeah, I really should go to the quarterly meeting but I think I'm going to skip it.
Skip
To leave, especially in a sudden and covert manner.
To skip the country
A customer who skipped town without paying her hotel bill
Skip
To leap lightly over.
To skip the rope
Skip
To jump rope.
The girls were skipping in the playground.
Skip
To pass by a stitch as if it were not there, continuing with the next stitch.
Skip
(printing) To have insufficient ink transfer.
Skip
To place an item in a skip (etymology 2, sense 1).
Skip
A leaping, jumping or skipping movement.
Skip
The act of passing over an interval from one thing to another; an omission of a part.
Skip
(music) A passage from one sound to another by more than a degree at once.
Skip
A person who attempts to disappear so as not to be found.
Skip
(radio) skywave propagation
Skip
A large open-topped container for waste, designed to be lifted onto the back of a truck to remove it along with its contents. see also skep.
Skip
(mining) A transportation container in a mine, usually for ore or mullock.
Skip
(steelmaking) A skip car.
Skip
A skep, or basket, such as a creel or a handbasket.
Skip
A wheeled basket used in cotton factories.
Skip
(sugar manufacture) A charge of syrup in the pans.
Skip
A beehive.
Skip
Short for skipper, the master or captain of a ship, or other person in authority.
Skip
(specially) The captain of a sports team. Also, a form of address by the team to the captain.
Skip
(curling) The player who calls the shots and traditionally throws the last two rocks.
Skip
(bowls) The captain of a bowls team, who directs the team's tactics and rolls the side's last wood, so as to be able to retrieve a difficult situation if necessary.
Skip
The scoutmaster of a troop of scouts (youth organization) and their form of address to him.
Skip
An Australian of Anglo-Celtic descent.
Skip
A college servant.
Skip
A basket. See Skep.
Skip
A basket on wheels, used in cotton factories.
Skip
An iron bucket, which slides between guides, for hoisting mineral and rock.
Skip
A charge of sirup in the pans.
Skip
A beehive; a skep.
Skip
A light leap or bound.
Skip
The act of passing over an interval from one thing to another; an omission of a part.
Skip
A passage from one sound to another by more than a degree at once.
Skip
To leap lightly; to move in leaps and hounds; - commonly implying a sportive spirit.
The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day,Had he thy reason, would he skip and play?
So she drew her mother away skipping, dancing, and frisking fantastically.
Skip
Fig.: To leave matters unnoticed, as in reading, speaking, or writing; to pass by, or overlook, portions of a thing; - often followed by over.
Skip
To leap lightly over; as, to skip the rope.
Skip
To pass over or by without notice; to omit; to miss; as, to skip a line in reading; to skip a lesson.
They who have a mind to see the issue may skip these two chapters.
Skip
To cause to skip; as, to skip a stone.
Skip
A gait in which steps and hops alternate
Skip
A mistake resulting from neglect
Skip
Bypass;
He skipped a row in the text and so the sentence was incomprehensible
Skip
Intentionally fail to attend;
Cut class
Skip
Jump lightly
Skip
Leave suddenly;
She persuaded him to decamp
Skip town
Skip
Bound off one point after another
Skip
Cause to skip over a surface;
Skip a stone across the pond
Common Curiosities
What does it mean to omit something?
To omit means to leave out or exclude something, either intentionally or by mistake.
Why would someone choose to skip a part of a book or article?
To save time, avoid content they find uninteresting or irrelevant.
Is omitting the same as forgetting?
Omitting can be due to forgetting, but it can also be a deliberate choice to exclude something.
What is the difference between omitting and skipping a step in a recipe?
Omitting a step is not including it, possibly by oversight, while skipping is actively deciding not to follow that step.
Can something be omitted unintentionally?
Yes, details can be omitted unintentionally due to oversight or error.
Is skipping classes considered a bad habit?
Generally, yes, as it can lead to missing important information and falling behind.
Can omitting information be ethical in certain contexts?
It can be, especially if the information is irrelevant or could cause harm if included.
How does skipping affect the learning process?
It can hinder understanding by creating gaps in knowledge.
Is it possible to skip something by accident?
Skipping usually implies an intentional action, so accidental skipping is less common and would likely be considered an omission.
Can you correct an omission easily?
Depending on the context, some omissions can be corrected more easily than others by adding the missing information.
Is skipping parts of a video or lecture a good way to save time?
It can be, but it risks missing crucial information.
What are the consequences of skipping steps in a process?
It can lead to incomplete or unsatisfactory outcomes.
Can omitting facts in a story change its perception?
Yes, omitting key facts can significantly alter how a story is understood or perceived.
How do programmers address omissions in code?
By revising the code to include the omitted details or functionalities.
Do authors sometimes omit details intentionally?
Yes, for various reasons such as pacing, relevance, or to create mystery.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
