same difference
A distinction which makes no difference; a distinction which does not matter.
"When you say she was a tart, do you mean a whore?" "It's the same difference," Betty said.
ADJ
big, broad, considerable, dramatic, enormous, great, huge, large, major, profound, radical, real, sharp, substantial, vast, wide
Learning a second language as a child makes a huge difference to how quickly you progress.
basic, essential, fundamental | crucial, important, key, significant | clear, distinct, marked, notable, noticeable, obvious, striking | minor, slight, subtle | national, regional | age, class, cultural, ethnic, gender, genetic, physical, psychological, racial, sex, social | historical, ideological, political
temperature, time
There's a big temperature difference between the sunny beach and the air-conditioned mall.
VERB + DIFFERENCE
make
Having a good teacher can make a real difference in a student's life.
mean
Having a good teacher can really mean the difference in how well students learn.
exaggerate, emphasize, focus on, highlight, stress, underline
The report highlighted key differences between the two training methods.
appreciate, be aware of, feel, know, notice, perceive, see, spot, tell
Most people can easily spot the difference between fresh and stale bread.
explain, illustrate
examine, explore, look at
The report examined the key differences in how the two companies managed their finances.
show
The new training program showed a clear difference in how quickly the employees completed their tasks.
reflect
The quality of the two products clearly reflects the price difference between them.
DIFFERENCE + VERB
be, lie
The main difference between the two recipes is the cooking temperature.
arise (from sth), exist
Several important differences exist between the two versions of the software.
PREP
~ between
Learning to cook takes practice, unlike the difference between watching cooking shows and actually preparing meals.
~ from
Her accent made a big difference from what people expected to hear in that small town.
~ in
There is a big difference in how the two restaurants prepare their food.
~ of
There was a significant difference of opinion between the two managers about the project timeline.
~ with
The main difference with my new phone is the bigger screen.
PHRASES
a with a difference
We're looking for a restaurant with a difference, somewhere that serves unusual food.
all the difference in the world
Having a good teacher can make all the difference in the world to a student's success.
a great deal of/a lot difference
Your new glasses have made a great deal of difference to how well you can see.
make all the difference
Having a good teacher can make all the difference in how well students learn.
no difference/not much difference
There is no difference between the two recipes, so you can use either one.
VERB + DIFFERENCE
pay
When he upgraded his phone, he had to pay the difference between the old and new prices.
make up
My salary was lower than expected, so my parents offered to make up the difference.
When I returned the damaged item, the store refunded me and I pocketed the difference between the sale price and what I paid.
split
My sister wanted to spend $100 and I wanted to spend $50, so we split the difference at $75.
ADJ
irreconcilable, major, serious, sharp | minor, slight
outstanding
There are still some outstanding differences between what the two companies want to agree on.
VERB + DIFFERENCE
have
My parents have some differences about money, but they love each other very much.
make up, patch up, put aside, reconcile, resolve, settle
The two countries agreed to resolve their differences through diplomacy rather than military conflict.
DIFFERENCE + VERB
arise, emerge, occur
When the two friends compared their test answers, several mistakes emerged in their calculations.
remain
There are still some differences that remain between what the two friends originally agreed on.
PREP
~ as to/over
The two friends had a disagreement over the best way to spend their vacation.
PHRASES
a difference of opinion
My parents had a difference of opinion about which city we should move to.
have your differences
My sister and I have our differences, but we still get along well.