Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
If two people or things are different, they are not like each other in one or more ways.
London was different from most European capitals...
If he'd attended music school, how might things have been different?...
We have totally different views.
ADJ: oft ADJ from n
•
In British English, people sometimes say that one thing is different to another. Some people consider this use to be incorrect.
My approach is totally different to his.
ADJ: v-link ADJ to n
•
People sometimes say that one thing is different than another. This use is often considered incorrect in British English, but it is acceptable in American English.
We're not really any different than they are.
ADJ: v-link ADJ than n/cl
• differently
Every individual learns differently...
ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed, oft ADV from n
2.
You use different to indicate that you are talking about two or more separate and distinct things of the same kind.
Different countries specialised in different products...
The number of calories in different brands of drinks varies enormously.
? identical
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
You can describe something as different when it is unusual and not like others of the same kind.
This recipe is certainly interesting and different.
= distinctive
ADJ: v-link ADJ