Tell vs. Tale — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Tell and Tale
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Compare with Definitions
Tell
Communicate information to someone in spoken or written words
We must be told the facts
‘We have nothing in common,’ she told him
He's telling the truth
I told her you were coming
Tale
A fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted
She enjoyed hearing others tell their tales
A delightful children's tale
Tales of witches and warlocks
Tell
Decide or determine correctly or with certainty
I couldn't tell if he believed me
You can tell they're in love
Tale
A number or total
An exact tale of the dead bodies
Tell
(of an experience or period of time) have a noticeable, typically harmful, effect on someone
The strain of supporting the family was beginning to tell on him
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Tale
A recital of events or happenings; a report or revelation
Told us a long tale of woe.
Tell
Count (the members of a group)
The shepherd had told all his sheep
Tale
A malicious story, piece of gossip, or petty complaint.
Tell
(especially in poker) an unconscious action that is thought to betray an attempted deception.
Tale
A deliberate lie; a falsehood.
Tell
(in the Middle East) an artificial mound formed by the accumulated remains of ancient settlements.
Tale
A narrative of real or imaginary events; a story.
Tell
To communicate by speech or writing; express with words
She told him that the store was closed. Tell me the truth.
Tale
(Archaic) A tally or reckoning; a total.
Tell
To give a detailed account of; narrate
Told what happened.
Told us a story.
Tale
An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a rumour; a report, especially an idle or malicious story; a piece of gossip or slander; a lie.
Don't tell tales!
Tell
To notify (someone) of something; inform
He told us of his dream to sail around the world.
Tale
A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story.
The Canterbury Tales
Tell
To make known; disclose or reveal
Tell a secret.
Tell fortunes.
Tale
A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration.
Tell
To inform (someone) positively; assure
I tell you, the plan will work.
Tale
(slang) The fraudulent opportunity presented by a confidence man to the mark or victim.
Tell
To give instructions to; direct
Told the customers to wait in line.
Tale
(obsolete) Number; tally; quota.
Tell
To discover by observation; discern
We could tell that he was upset.
Tale
(obsolete) Account; estimation; regard; heed.
Tell
To name or number one by one; count
Telling one's blessings.
16 windows, all told.
Tale
(obsolete) Speech; language.
Tell
To relate a story or give an account of an event
The sailor told of having been adrift for days.
Tale
(obsolete) A speech; a statement; talk; conversation; discourse.
Tell
To reveal something that is not supposed to be revealed, especially something that someone has done wrong
She promised not to tell on her friend.
Tale
A count; declaration.
Tell
To have an effect or impact
In this game every move tells.
Tale
A number of things considered as an aggregate; sum.
Tell
An unintentional or unconsciously exhibited behavior that reveals or betrays one's state of mind, as when playing poker.
Tale
A report of any matter; a relation; a version.
Tell
A mound, especially in the Middle East, made up of the remains of a succession of previous settlements.
Tale
To speak; discourse; tell tales.
Tell
To count, reckon, or enumerate.
All told, there were over a dozen.
Can you tell time on a clock?
He had untold wealth.
Tale
To reckon; consider (someone) to have something.
Tell
To narrate.
I want to tell a story;
I want to tell you a story.
Tale
See Tael.
Tell
To convey by speech; to say.
Finally, someone told him the truth.
He seems to like to tell lies.
Tale
That which is told; an oral relation or recital; any rehearsal of what has occured; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story.
We spend our years as a tale that is told.
Tell
(transitive) To instruct or inform.
Please tell me how to do it.
Tale
A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration; a count, in distinction from measure or weight; a number reckoned or stated.
The ignorant, . . . who measure by tale, and not by weight.
And every shepherd tells his tale,Under the hawthornn in the dale.
In packing, they keep a just tale of the number.
Tell
(transitive) To order; to direct, to say to someone.
Tell him to go away.
Tale
A count or declaration.
Therefore little tale hath he toldOf any dream, so holy was his heart.
Tell
To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.
Can you tell whether those flowers are real or silk, from this distance?
No, there's no way to tell.
I can tell you're upset.
An expert can tell an original from a forgery.
Tale
To tell stories.
Tell
(transitive) To reveal.
Time will tell what became of him.
Tale
A message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program;
His narrative was interesting
Disney's stories entertain adults as well as children
Tell
(intransitive) To be revealed.
Tale
A trivial lie;
He told a fib about eating his spinach
How can I stop my child from telling stories?
Tell
(intransitive) To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated.
Sir Gerald was moving slower; his wounds were beginning to tell.
Tell
To use (beads or similar objects) as an aid to prayer.
Tell
To inform someone in authority about a wrongdoing.
I saw you steal those sweets! I'm telling!
Tell
To reveal information in prose through outright expository statement -- contrasted with show
Maria rewrote the section of her novel that talked about Meg and Sage's friendship to have less telling and more showing.
Tell
A reflexive, often habitual behavior, especially one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.
Tell
(archaic) That which is told; a tale or account.
Tell
(internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.
Tell
(archaeology) A hill or mound, originally and especially in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.
Tell
To mention one by one, or piece by piece; to recount; to enumerate; to reckon; to number; to count; as, to tell money.
He telleth the number of the stars.
Tell the joints of the body.
Tell
To utter or recite in detail; to give an account of; to narrate.
Of which I shall tell all the array.
And not a man appears to tell their fate.
Tell
To make known; to publish; to disclose; to divulge.
Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
Tell
To give instruction to; to make report to; to acquaint; to teach; to inform.
A secret pilgrimage,That you to-day promised to tell me of?
Tell
To order; to request; to command.
He told her not to be frightened.
Tell
To discern so as to report; to ascertain by observing; to find out; to discover; as, I can not tell where one color ends and the other begins.
Tell
To make account of; to regard; to reckon; to value; to estimate.
I ne told no dainity of her love.
Tell
To give an account; to make report.
That I may publish with the voice of thankgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
Tell
To take effect; to produce a marked effect; as, every shot tells; every expression tells.
Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David.
Tell
That which is told; tale; account.
I am at the end of my tell.
Tell
A hill or mound.
Tell
A Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap)
Tell
Express in words;
He said that he wanted to marry her
Tell me what is bothering you
State your opinion
State your name
Tell
Let something be known;
Tell them that you will be late
Tell
Narrate or give a detailed account of;
Tell what happened
The father told a story to his child
Tell
Give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority;
I said to him to go home
She ordered him to do the shopping
The mother told the child to get dressed
Tell
Discern or comprehend;
He could tell that she was unhappy
Tell
Inform positively and with certainty and confidence;
I tell you that man is a crook!
Tell
Give evidence;
He was telling on all his former colleague
Tell
Mark as different;
We distinguish several kinds of maple
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