Practice vs. Rehearsal — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on October 5, 2023
Practice implies regular exercise to improve skill, e.g., “She needs to practice piano daily.” Rehearsal refers to a systematic practice session for a performance, such as “The play rehearsal is tomorrow.”
Difference Between Practice and Rehearsal
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Key Differences
Practice often implies an act of routinely engaging in an activity with the purpose of improving a particular skill or becoming proficient. Rehearsal, while still a form of practice, commonly refers to the act of practicing as preparation for a performance, ensuring everything runs smoothly.
Practice might not have an immediate goal or an impending event it is preparing for, but rather is engaged in for the purpose of gradual improvement or maintenance of a skill. Rehearsal, on the other hand, usually takes place within a defined time frame and is purposefully aimed at preparing for a specific event or performance.
The word practice can be used in a general sense, implying regular and continuous exercise or training in something, often to improve proficiency. Rehearsal typically implies practicing that is directly related to a future event, aiming to perfect the execution of a performance, presentation, or similar event.
In medical, legal, or other professional contexts, practice can refer to the continuous exercise of a profession ("medical practice"). Rehearsal is not used in this manner and remains mostly tied to the context of preparing for performances or events.
While practice can be a solitary activity and often involves repeated exercises, rehearsal tends to be more collective, involving coordination among a group of people, and is not necessarily focused on repetition of exercises but rather on preparing the entire flow of a performance.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Regular exercise to improve skill.
Systematic practice for a performance.
Goal
Gradual improvement/maintenance.
Preparing for a specific event.
Time Frame
Can be continuous/indefinite.
Usually limited to pre-event period.
Contextual Usage
Can refer to professional exercise.
Generally tied to performances.
Sociability
Can be solitary or collective.
Often involves group coordination.
Compare with Definitions
Practice
Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill to acquire proficiency.
The team puts in a lot of practice between games.
Rehearsal
The action or process of rehearsing a play, concert, or other organized event.
The cast held a rehearsal to smooth out the performance.
Practice
The actual application or use of an idea, method, or belief.
The company put their ethical practices into action.
Rehearsal
An event resembling or prefiguring a later event.
The skirmish was a rehearsal for the upcoming battle.
Practice
The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it
The principles and practice of teaching
The recommendations proved too expensive to put into practice
Rehearsal
A session of practice for a performance.
The orchestra had a rehearsal for the upcoming concert.
Practice
The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing of something
Modern child-rearing practices
Product placement is common practice in American movies
Rehearsal
Engaging in preparation for a public performance of a play.
The actors were busy with the night's rehearsal.
Practice
Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it
It must have taken a lot of practice to become so fluent
Rehearsal
A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ensure that all details of the subsequent performance are adequately prepared and coordinated.
Practice
US spelling of practise
Rehearsal
A practice or trial performance of a play or other work for later public performance
Rehearsals for the opera season
Practice
To do or perform habitually or customarily; make a habit of
Practices courtesy in social situations.
Rehearsal
The act of practicing in preparation for a public performance.
Practice
To do or perform (something) repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill
Practice a dance step.
Rehearsal
A session of practice for a performance, as of a play.
Practice
To give lessons or repeated instructions to; drill
Practiced the students in handwriting.
Rehearsal
A detailed enumeration or repetition
A long rehearsal of his woes.
Practice
To work at, especially as a profession
Practice law.
Rehearsal
The practicing of something which is to be performed before an audience, usually to test or improve the interaction between several participating people, or to allow technical adjustments with respect to staging to be done.
Practice
To carry out in action; observe
Practices a religion piously.
Rehearsal
A preparatory activity analogous to the rehearsal of a show.
The forest fires are just a rehearsal for the devastation that will be caused if climate change continues to worsen.
Practice
(Obsolete) To plot (something evil).
Rehearsal
The act of rehearsing or contriving something; the fact of something's being rehearsed.
The prosecution argued that the defendant's exact repetition of his account of the events several times demonstrated the rehearsal of his story.
Practice
To do something repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill
With any musical instrument, you need to practice to get better.
Rehearsal
The act of rehearsing; recital; narration; repetition; specifically, a private recital, performance, or season of practice, in preparation for a public exhibition or exercise.
In rehearsal of our Lord's Prayer.
Here's marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal.
Practice
To work at a profession
How long has that lawyer been practicing?.
Rehearsal
A practice session in preparation for a public performance (as of a play or speech or concert);
He missed too many rehearsals
A rehearsal will be held the day before the wedding
Practice
To do or perform something habitually or repeatedly
Why not practice in the same manner that you preach?.
Rehearsal
(psychology) a form of practice; repetition of information (silently or aloud) in order to keep it in short-term memory
Practice
(Archaic) To intrigue or plot.
Rehearsal
A practice or trial performance of a ceremony or procedure before the formal event.
The wedding rehearsal took place in the church.
Practice
A habitual or customary action or way of doing something
Makes a practice of being punctual.
Practice
Repeated performance of an activity in order to learn or perfect a skill
Practice will make you a good musician.
Practice
A session of preparation or performance undertaken to acquire or polish a skill
Goes to piano practice weekly.
Scheduled a soccer practice for Saturday.
Practice
(Archaic) The skill so learned or perfected.
Practice
The condition of being skilled through repeated exercise
Out of practice.
Practice
The act or process of doing something; performance or action
A theory that is difficult to put into practice.
Practice
Exercise of an occupation or profession
The practice of law.
Practice
The business of a professional person
An obstetrician with her own practice.
Practice
A habitual or customary action or act
That company engages in questionable business practices. Facial tattooing is a standard practice among certain peoples.
Practice
(Law) The procedure for trial of cases in a court of law, usually specified by rules.
Practice
The act of tricking or scheming, especially with malicious intent.
Practice
A trick, scheme, or intrigue.
Practice
Repetition of an activity to improve a skill.
He will need lots of practice with the lines before he performs them.
Practice
An organized event for the purpose of performing such repetition.
Being on a team is hard: you're always having to go to practice while everyone else is taking it easy.
I have choir practice every Sunday after church.
Practice
The ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession, particularly in medicine or the fine arts.
Practice
(countable) A place where a professional service is provided, such as a general practice.
She ran a thriving medical practice.
Practice
The observance of religious duties that a church requires of its members.
Practice
A customary action, habit, or behaviour; a manner or routine.
It is the usual practice of employees there to wear neckties only when meeting with customers.
It is good practice to check each door and window before leaving.
Practice
Actual operation or experiment, in contrast to theory.
That may work in theory, but will it work in practice?
Practice
(legal) The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts.
This firm of solicitors is involved in family law practice.
Practice
Skilful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; stratagem; artifice.
Practice
(math) A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.
Practice
(US) practise
Practice
Frequently repeated or customary action; habitual performance; a succession of acts of a similar kind; usage; habit; custom; as, the practice of rising early; the practice of making regular entries of accounts; the practice of daily exercise.
A heart . . . exercised with covetous practices.
Practice
Customary or constant use; state of being used.
Obsolete words may be revived when they are more sounding or more significant than those in practice.
Practice
Skill or dexterity acquired by use; expertness.
Practice
Actual performance; application of knowledge; - opposed to theory.
There are two functions of the soul, - contemplation and practice.
There is a distinction, but no opposition, between theory and practice; each, to a certain extent, supposes the other; theory is dependent on practice; practice must have preceded theory.
Practice
Systematic exercise for instruction or discipline; as, the troops are called out for practice; she neglected practice in music.
Practice
Application of science to the wants of men; the exercise of any profession; professional business; as, the practice of medicine or law; a large or lucrative practice.
Practice is exercise of an art, or the application of a science in life, which application is itself an art.
Practice
Skillful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; art; stratagem; artifice; plot; - usually in a bad sense.
He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.
Practice
A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.
Practice
The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts.
Practice
To do or perform frequently, customarily, or habitually; to make a practice of; as, to practice gaming.
Practice
To exercise, or follow, as a profession, trade, art, etc., as, to practice law or medicine.
Practice
To exercise one's self in, for instruction or improvement, or to acquire discipline or dexterity; as, to practice gunnery; to practice music.
Practice
To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do.
As this advice ye practice or neglect.
Practice
To make use of; to employ.
In malice to this good knight's wife, I practiced Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her.
Practice
To teach or accustom by practice; to train.
In church they are taught to love God; after church they are practiced to love their neighbor.
Practice
To perform certain acts frequently or customarily, either for instruction, profit, or amusement; as, to practice with the broadsword or with the rifle; to practice on the piano.
Practice
To learn by practice; to form a habit.
They shall practice how to live secure.
Practice first over yourself to reign.
Practice
To try artifices or stratagems.
He will practice against thee by poison.
Practice
To apply theoretical science or knowledge, esp. by way of experiment; to exercise or pursue an employment or profession, esp. that of medicine or of law.
[I am] little inclined to practice on others, and as little that others should practice on me.
Practice
A customary way of operation or behavior;
It is their practice to give annual raises
They changed their dietary pattern
Practice
Systematic training by multiple repetitions;
Practice makes perfect
Practice
Translating an idea into action;
A hard theory to put into practice
Differences between theory and praxis of communism
Practice
The exercise of a profession;
The practice of the law
I took over his practice when he retired
Practice
Knowledge of how something is usually done;
It is not the local practice to wear shorts to dinner
Practice
Learn by repetition;
We drilled French verbs every day
Pianists practice scales
Practice
Avail oneself to;
Apply a principle
Practice a religion
Use care when going down the stairs
Use your common sense
Practice non-violent resistance
Practice
Carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions;
Practice law
Practice
Engage in a rehearsal (of)
Practice
The regular performance of an activity to improve skills.
She began her piano practice early in the morning.
Practice
The exercise of a profession.
Dr. Smith has a medical practice in the city.
Practice
The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing something.
It is good practice to check your tires before a long trip.
Common Curiosities
What is the primary definition of "practice"?
Practice refers to the repeated exercise or performance of an activity or skill to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
What is the difference between "practice" and "rehearsal"?
While both involve preparation, "practice" generally refers to the regular and repetitive performance of an activity or skill. In contrast, "rehearsal" typically relates to preparing for a specific performance or event, often involving multiple participants.
Is "practice" always about doing something repeatedly?
Not always. While it often implies repetition, it can also denote a customary way of operation or behavior, as in "common practice."
Can "practice" be used as both a noun and a verb?
Yes, "practice" can be both a noun (e.g., "She has a daily yoga practice.") and a verb (e.g., "I practice the guitar every day.").
Is "rehearsal" a noun or a verb?
"Rehearsal" is primarily used as a noun. The corresponding verb form is "rehearse."
How do you use "practice" in the context of law?
In law, "practice" can refer to the work or profession of a lawyer, as in "She has a thriving legal practice."
Is there a phrase that combines both "practice" and "rehearsal"?
Yes, "dress rehearsal." It refers to the final rehearsal of a live show, where all elements, including costumes and makeup, are used as if it's the actual performance.
How do you use "rehearse" in a sentence?
"The actors will rehearse the scene until they get it right."
How is "rehearsal" commonly defined?
Rehearsal is the act of practicing a performance, usually in preparation for a public presentation.
Is "rehearsal" used exclusively for performances?
While commonly associated with performances, "rehearsal" can also refer to any preparatory activity or simulation, like a "disaster rehearsal."
Can you use "practice" in a medical context?
Yes, "practice" can refer to the professional business or location of a doctor or dentist, as in "dental practice" or "medical practice."
Can "rehearsal" refer to going over memories or past events?
Yes, in a more figurative sense. For example, "She had a constant rehearsal of past grievances in her mind."
Are rehearsals always done before the main event?
Typically, yes. Rehearsals are preparatory sessions conducted before the actual performance or event to ensure smooth execution.
Can "practice" also refer to a social or religious custom?
Yes. For example, fasting can be referred to as a religious "practice."
What is the opposite of "practice" in the context of not doing something regularly?
One might use "neglect" or "avoidance." For example, "He neglected his piano practice."
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited 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.
