Tall vs. High — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 15, 2024
Tall typically refers to the vertical extent of objects or people, emphasizing relative height, while high describes elevation or distance above a point or level, applicable to broader contexts.
Difference Between Tall and High
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Key Differences
Tall is most commonly used to describe the height of living beings, like people or trees, indicating a greater than average height for its kind. On the other hand, high is often applied to non-living objects or abstract concepts, such as mountains or prices, indicating a measurement above a standard reference point.
Tall emphasizes linear vertical growth, especially visible in the context of comparative analysis among species or objects of the same category. Whereas high can describe both spatial altitude and figurative levels, such as high spirits or high volume, expanding its usage beyond physical dimensions.
When discussing architecture, a tall building refers specifically to its vertical stature, often in comparison to other buildings. Conversely, high can also refer to an aspect of the building unrelated to its verticality, such as a high level of security or high occupancy rates.
In sports, a tall athlete is typically someone whose height provides a competitive advantage, like basketball players. On the other hand, high can be used to describe the score in a game, a high jump, or even the level of play, showing broader applicability.
Clothing sizes often use tall to describe items designed for taller individuals, focusing on the vertical fitting. High, in contrast, might be used to describe high-waisted jeans where the term refers to the position of the waist relative to the body.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Usage
Living beings' height
Elevation or level
Contexts
People, trees
Mountains, prices
Relative to
Other similar entities
A standard or reference
Figurative Use
Rarely used figuratively
Often used figuratively
Measurements
Specific to height
Spatial or abstract levels
Compare with Definitions
Tall
Height above average for a person or object.
She is considered tall for her age.
High
Of a positive or enthusiastic quality.
His spirits were high after the victory.
Tall
Designed to accommodate tall individuals.
They bought a car with tall seating arrangements.
High
Referring to a point or period of peak activity or quality.
She reached a high point in her career.
Tall
Exaggerated in height or importance.
That’s a tall tale of his adventures.
High
Greater than usual level or degree.
The high temperature today makes outdoor work challenging.
Tall
Of more than average height, relative to others.
Tall trees dominate the forest landscape.
High
Elevated above ground or a baseline.
The cliff is very high above the valley.
Tall
Lofty, aspiring to a high degree.
He always had tall ambitions.
High
Indicating sound or volume level.
Turn the volume high to hear the announcements.
Tall
Of great or more than average height, especially (with reference to an object) relative to width
A tall, broad-shouldered man
A tall glass of iced tea
High
Of great vertical extent
The top of a high mountain
Tall
Having greater than ordinary height
A tall woman.
High
Great, or greater than normal, in quantity, size, or intensity
A high temperature
Sweets are very high in calories
Tall
Having considerable height, especially in relation to width; lofty
Tall trees.
High
Great in rank, status, or importance
Both held high office under Lloyd George
Financial security is high on your list of priorities
Tall
Having a specified height
A plant three feet tall.
High
(of a sound or note) having a frequency at the upper end of the auditory range
A high, squeaky voice
Tall
(Informal) Fanciful or exaggerated; boastful
Tall tales of heroic exploits.
High
Feeling euphoric, especially from the effects of drugs or alcohol
Some of them were high on Ecstasy
She wasn't tipsy, just a little high
Tall
Impressively great or difficult
A tall order to fill.
High
(especially of food) unpleasantly strong-smelling because beginning to go bad
It's a type of preserved butter, used for cooking, smells a little high
Tall
(Obsolete) Excellent; fine.
High
(of a vowel) produced with the tongue relatively near the palate.
Tall
With proud bearing; straight
Stand tall.
High
A high point, level, or figure
Commodity prices were at a rare high
Tall
(of a person) Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.
Being tall is an advantage in basketball.
High
A notably happy or successful moment
The highs and lows of life
Tall
(of a building, etc.) Having its top a long way up; having a great vertical (and often greater than horizontal) extent; high.
High
High school
I go to junior high
Tall
(of a story) Hard to believe, such as a tall story or a tall tale.
High
At or to a considerable or specified height
The sculpture stood about five feet high
A dish piled high with baked beans
Tall
Smaller than grande, usually 8 ounces (~ 230 ml).
High
Highly
He ranked high among the pioneers of chemical technology
Tall
(obsolete) Obsequious; obedient.
High
(of a sound) at or to a high pitch
My voice went high with excitement
Tall
(obsolete) Seemly; suitable; fitting, becoming, comely; attractive, handsome.
High
Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward
A high mountain.
A high tower.
Tall
(obsolete) Bold; brave; courageous; valiant.
High
Extending a specified distance upward
A cabinet ten feet high.
Tall
(archaic) Fine; proper; admirable; great; excellent.
High
Far or farther from a reference point
Was too high in the offensive zone to take a shot.
Tall
Someone or something that is tall.
High
Being at or near the peak or culminating stage
The high tourist season.
High summer.
Tall
A clothing size for taller people.
Do you have this in a tall?
High
Advanced in development or complexity
High forms of animal life.
Higher mathematics.
Tall
A tall serving of a drink, especially one from Starbucks, which contains 12 ounces.
High
Far removed in time; remote
High antiquity.
Tall
High in stature; having a considerable, or an unusual, extension upward; long and comparatively slender; having the diameter or lateral extent small in proportion to the height; as, a tall person, tree, or mast.
Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall.
High
Slightly spoiled or tainted; gamy. Used of meat.
Tall
Brave; bold; courageous.
As tall a trenchermanAs e'er demolished a pye fortification.
His companions, being almost in despair of victory, were suddenly recomforted by Sir William Stanley, which came to succors with three thousand tall men.
High
Having a bad smell; malodorous.
Tall
Fine; splendid; excellent; also, extravagant; excessive.
High
Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively large number of sound-wave cycles per second
The high tones of a flute.
Tall
Great in vertical dimension; high in stature;
Tall people
Tall buildings
Tall trees
Tall ships
High
Raised in pitch; not soft or hushed
A high voice.
Tall
Lofty in style;
He engages in so much tall talk, one never really realizes what he is saying
High
Situated relatively far from the equator
A high latitude.
Tall
Impressively difficult;
A tall order
High
Of great importance
Set a high priority on funding the housing program.
Tall
Too improbable to admit of belief;
A tall story
High
Eminent in rank or status
A high official.
High
Serious; grave
High crimes and misdemeanors.
High
Constituting a climax; crucial
The chase scene is the high point of the film.
High
Characterized by lofty or stirring events or themes
High adventure.
High drama.
High
Lofty or exalted in quality or character
A person of high morals.
High
Greater than usual or expected, as in quantity, magnitude, cost, or degree
“A high price has to be paid for the happy marriage with the four healthy children” (Doris Lessing).
High
Favorable
He has a high opinion of himself.
High
Of great force or violence
High winds.
High
(Informal) Excited or euphoric
High spirits.
High
(Slang) Intoxicated by alcohol or a drug, such as cocaine or marijuana.
High
Luxurious; extravagant
High living.
High
(Linguistics) Of or relating to vowels produced with part of the tongue close to the palate, as in the vowel of tree.
High
Of, relating to, or being the gear configuration or setting, as in an automotive transmission, that produces the greatest vehicular speed with respect to engine speed.
High
At, in, or to a lofty position, level, or degree
Saw a plane flying high in the sky.
Prices that had gone too high.
High
In an extravagant or luxurious way
Made a fortune and lived high.
High
A lofty place or region.
High
A high level or degree
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high.
High
The high gear configuration of a transmission.
High
A center of high atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
High
(Informal) An excited or euphoric condition
The team was on a high after winning in overtime.
High
(Slang) An intoxicated or euphoric condition induced by alcohol or a drug.
High
Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
High
Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty.
The balloon rose high in the sky.
The wall was high.
A high mountain
High
Relatively elevated; rising or raised above the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
High
Above the batter's shoulders.
The pitch (or: the ball) was high
High
Pertaining to (or, especially of a language: spoken in) in an area which is at a greater elevation, for example more mountainous, than other regions.
High
Having a specified elevation or height; tall.
Three feet high
Three Mount Everests high
High
Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
The oldest of the elves' royal family still conversed in High Elvish.
High
Most exalted; foremost.
The high priest, the high officials of the court, the high altar
High
Of great importance and consequence: grave (if negative) or solemn (if positive).
High crimes, the high festival of the sun
High
Consummate; advanced (e.g. in development) to the utmost extent or culmination, or possessing a quality in its supreme degree, at its zenith.
High (i.e. intense) heat; high (i.e. full or quite) noon; high (i.e. rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i.e. complete) pleasure; high (i.e. deep or vivid) colour; high (i.e. extensive, thorough) scholarship; high tide; high [tourism] season; the High Middle Ages
High
Advanced in complexity (and hence potentially abstract and/or difficult to comprehend).
High
(in several set phrases) Very traditionalist and conservative, especially in favoring older ways of doing things; see e.g. high church, High Tory.
High
Elevated in mood; marked by great merriment, excitement, etc.
In high spirits
High
(of a lifestyle) Luxurious; rich.
High living, the high life
High
Lofty, often to the point of arrogant, haughty, boastful, proud.
A high tone
High
(with "on" or "about") Keen, enthused.
High
With tall waves.
High
Remote (to the north or south) from the equator; situated at (or constituting) a latitude which is expressed by a large number.
High latitude, fish species in high arctic and antarctic areas
High
Large, great (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
My bank charges me a high interest rate.
I was running a high temperature and had high cholesterol.
High voltage
High prices
High winds
A high number
High
Having a large or comparatively larger concentration of (a substance, which is often but not always linked by "in" when predicative).
Carrots are high in vitamin A.
Made from a high-copper alloy
High
(acoustics) Acute or shrill in pitch, due to being of greater frequency, i.e. produced by more rapid vibrations (wave oscillations).
The note was too high for her to sing.
High
(phonetics) Made with some part of the tongue positioned high in the mouth, relatively close to the palate.
High
(card games) Greater in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
High
(poker) Having the highest rank in a straight, flush or straight flush.
I have KT742 of the same suit. In other words, a K-high flush.
9-high straight = 98765 unsuited
Royal Flush = AKQJT suited = A-high straight flush
High
(of a card or hand) Winning; able to take a trick, win a round, etc.
North's hand was high. East was in trouble.
High
Strong-scented; slightly tainted/spoiled; beginning to decompose.
Epicures do not cook game before it is high.
The tailor liked his meat high.
High
(informal) intoxicated; under the influence of a mood-altering drug, formerly usually alcohol, but now (from the mid-20th century) usually not alcohol but rather marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc.
High
Near, in its direction of travel, to the (direction of the) wind.
High
Positioned up the field, towards the opposing team's goal.
Our defensive line is too high.
High
In or to an elevated position.
How high above land did you fly?
The desks were piled high with magazines.
High
In or at a great value.
Costs have grown higher this year again.
High
At a pitch of great frequency.
I certainly can't sing that high.
High
A high point or position, literally (as, an elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven).or figuratively (as, a point of success or achievement; a time when things are at their best, greatest, most numerous, maximum, etc).
It was one of the highs of his career.
Inflation reached a ten-year high.
High
The maximum atmospheric temperature recorded at a particular location, especially during one 24-hour period.
Today's high was 32 °C.
High
A period of euphoria, from excitement or from an intake of drugs.
That pill gave me a high for a few hours, before I had a comedown.
High
A drug that gives such a high.
High
A large area of elevated atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
A large high is centred on the Azores.
High
(card games) The highest card dealt or drawn.
High
(obsolete) Thought; intention; determination; purpose.
High
(obsolete) To rise.
The sun higheth.
High
To hie; to hasten.
High
To hie.
Men must high them apace, and make haste.
High
To rise; as, the sun higheth.
High
Elevated above any starting point of measurement, as a line, or surface; having altitude; lifted up; raised or extended in the direction of the zenith; lofty; tall; as, a high mountain, tower, tree; the sun is high.
High
Regarded as raised up or elevated; distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; - used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection
High
Elevated in character or quality, whether moral or intellectual; preëminent; honorable; as, high aims, or motives.
High
Possessing a characteristic quality in a supreme or superior degree; as, high (i. e., intense) heat; high (i. e., full or quite) noon; high (i. e., rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i. e., complete) pleasure; high (i. e., deep or vivid) color; high (i. e., extensive, thorough) scholarship, etc.
High time it is this war now ended were.
High sauces and spices are fetched from the Indies.
High
Exalted in social standing or general estimation, or in rank, reputation, office, and the like; dignified; as, she was welcomed in the highest circles.
He was a wight of high renown.
High
Strong-scented; slightly tainted; as, epicures do not cook game before it is high.
High
Of noble birth; illustrious; as, of high family.
High
Acute or sharp; - opposed to grave or low; as, a high note.
High
Of great strength, force, importance, and the like; strong; mighty; powerful; violent; sometimes, triumphant; victorious; majestic, etc.; as, a high wind; high passions.
Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Can heavenly minds such high resentment show?
High
Made with a high position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate, as ē (ēve), Ō (fŌd). See Guide to Pronunciation, 10, 11.
High
Very abstract; difficult to comprehend or surmount; grand; noble.
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Plain living and high thinking are no more.
High
Costly; dear in price; extravagant; as, to hold goods at a high price.
If they must be good at so high a rate, they know they may be safe at a cheaper.
High
Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud; ostentatious; - used in a bad sense.
An high look and a proud heart . . . is sin.
His forces, after all the high discourses, amounted really but to eighteen hundred foot.
High
In a high manner; in a high place; to a great altitude; to a great degree; largely; in a superior manner; eminently; powerfully.
High
An elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven.
High
People of rank or high station; as, high and low.
High
The highest card dealt or drawn.
The dayspring from on high hath visited us.
High
A lofty level or position or degree;
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high
High
An air mass of higher than normal pressure;
The east coast benefits from a Bermuda high
High
A state of sustained elation;
I'm on a permanent high these days
High
A state of altered consciousness induced by alcohol or narcotics;
They took drugs to get a high on
High
A high place;
They stood on high and observed the coutryside
He doesn't like heights
High
A public secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12;
He goes to the neighborhood highschool
High
A forward gear with a gear ratio giving high vehicle velocity for a given engine speed
High
Greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount;
A high temperature
A high price
The high point of his career
High risks
Has high hopes
The river is high
He has a high opinion of himself
High
(literal meanings) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high');
A high mountain
High ceilings
High buildings
A high forehead
A high incline
A foot high
High
Standing above others in quality or position;
People in high places
The high priest
Eminent members of the community
High
Used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency
High
Happy and excited and energetic
High
Used of the smell of game beginning to taint
High
Slightly and pleasantly intoxicated from alcohol or a drug (especially marijuana)
High
At a great altitude;
He climbed high on the ladder
High
In or to a high position, amount, or degree;
Prices have gone up far too high
High
In a rich manner;
He lives high
High
Far up toward the source;
He lives high up the river
Common Curiosities
Can both terms be used interchangeably in any context?
No, their interchangeability depends on the context. For instance, one wouldn't say a "high person" instead of a "tall person."
What does it mean when someone is described as "standing tall"?
It means they are acting with dignity or resilience, not necessarily referring to their physical height.
How does "high" describe states of emotion?
High can describe elevated emotions, such as "high joy" or "high excitement."
Are "tall" and "high" used in all English-speaking regions similarly?
Generally, yes, but regional variations and expressions can influence specific uses.
Can "high" refer to things other than physical elevation?
Absolutely, high can refer to quantitative measurements, quality, or even emotional states.
What are some common phrases using "tall"?
Phrases like "tall order" or "tall tale" use "tall" to describe something difficult or exaggerated, respectively.
Can inanimate objects be described as "tall"?
Yes, inanimate objects like buildings or towers can be described as tall in terms of their height.
Is "tall" only applicable to vertical growth?
Yes, tall typically describes vertical growth, particularly in living organisms.
Is there a difference in the figurative usage of "tall" and "high"?
Yes, "tall" is less commonly used figuratively, whereas "high" is often used to describe abstract and non-physical dimensions.
How does one choose between using "tall" or "high"?
Choose "tall" when referring to the height of entities in comparison to others like them; use "high" for describing elevation or metaphorical levels.
Does the precision of measurement affect the choice between "tall" and "high"?
Yes, "tall" is more likely used when precise measurements of height are discussed, whereas "high" can be more abstract.
What are some common phrases using "high"?
Phrases like "high hopes" or "high standards" use "high" to describe something elevated beyond the norm.
What role does context play in choosing between "tall" and "high"?
Context is crucial as it determines which term more accurately conveys the intended meaning.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
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.
