A friend of mine Manuel from Ecuador happened to ask me if there is any difference between strange and weird I think for a while and start to be confuse because I know those two words are interchangeable. I did some research on the internet and unfortunately, I cannot find a definite answer. I decided to ask some of my livemocha friends and here are the answers I got.
Brian from Australia:
That is a bit difficult to answer. In most cases the two words are interchangeable. There is very little difference between them. "Strange" is from the old French and "weird" is from the old English ; that is why we have two words that mean almost exactly the same thing."
Cheif from Australia:
"Strange" and '"weird" can be used with the same meaning. For example, if someone behaves in a manner that's socially unacceptable we can say their behaviour is strange or their behaviour is weird.
But these words can also each be used with distinct meanings. If you visit a suburb you've never been to before, you might say "this area is strange to me", but you wouldn't say "this area is weird". However, if you went onto a movie set where buildings were designed to lean over on unusual angles and the whole atmosphere was designed to be spooky you'd most likely say "this area is weird".
Chris from Los Angeles:
The meaning of strange is probably seen best in a word like a stranger. Someone or something unlike our own. Weird is about supernatural things. Things that don't exist in the normal sense of "distance" form us. But, perhaps on another level of existance. Inhumanlike conduct. Kids use weird to describe the unusual behaviour of a classmate that nobody would like. But, you know, it is an exageration to say someone is wierd unless that person is a ghost or something.That kid is really strange. He ate all his fruit before his sandwich. The same thing could be weird. But the one meaning is not so bad the kid from another country and his custom is strange. But, weird which could also be used means it is otherworldly or inhuman. Maybe monsterous. So in that case werid would be the stronger word. Strange can also means something like the supernatural. Weird originally meant the supernatural.
Sonya from United States:
The words "strange" and "weird" are similar enough that they can often be used in the same sentences. For example, "I got worried when I heard a strange noise outside." "I got worried when I heard a weird noise outside."
However, the two words do have different connotations. The word "strange" can be used to mean "unfamiliar." For example, "I always get lost when I am in a strange town." (But you wouldn't say, "I always get lost when I am in a weird town." because that would imply that you thought that there was something wrong with the town). "Strange" can also mean "out of the ordinary." For example, "I wonder if I should take my baby to the doctor. It is strange that he is sleeping for so many hours today."
The best synonyms for "weird" are "bizarre or eerie." When you say "weird", it carries a stronger sense of judgment, that you are saying something is so odd that is outside the range of normal (bizarre). "Strange" is a little gentler -- it can me anything between "slightly odd" (or unfamiliar) and "bizarre." Still, in many sentences either word would work. "What do you think of the new guy that Theresa is dating? Does he seem a little (strange/weird) to you?"
The word "strange" will be less likely to offend someone than the word "weird." For example, if you are talking with the parents of a student, you could say, "I have been noticing some strange behavior from Emma. Do you think there is something that is upsetting Emma at school or at home?" But if you said, "I have been noticing some weird behavior from Emma...." -- that will sound more judgmental, like you are saying there is something wrong with her (not just something unusual about her, a change from the way she ordinarily is). {Well, actually, it would be even more diplomatic to say "unusual behavior."}
Albela from India:
"Strange" refers to that which is out of the ordinary. It implies that the thing or its cause is unknown or unexplained; it is unfamiliar and unusual (e.g., a strange expression; traveled through strange lands).
"Weird" refers to that which is mysterious and apparently outside natural law. It is suggestive of the fateful intervention of supernatural influences in human affairs (e.g., the weird adventures of a group lost in the jungle; a weird and sinister laugh).
The difference between weird and strange is not large and is a bit difficult to describe, really. Weird inspires the creeps and strange seems off (out of the ordinary a bit). But they both can mean both of those things...so the line is blurred and practically non existent.
BikolJoe from Philippines:
Strange is closer to unusual while weird is more like bizarre or much stronger. It would be strange for Erap to support PGMA, it would be weird if he proposed marriage to her! Hahaha.
Brian from Australia:
That is a bit difficult to answer. In most cases the two words are interchangeable. There is very little difference between them. "Strange" is from the old French and "weird" is from the old English ; that is why we have two words that mean almost exactly the same thing."
Cheif from Australia:
"Strange" and '"weird" can be used with the same meaning. For example, if someone behaves in a manner that's socially unacceptable we can say their behaviour is strange or their behaviour is weird.
But these words can also each be used with distinct meanings. If you visit a suburb you've never been to before, you might say "this area is strange to me", but you wouldn't say "this area is weird". However, if you went onto a movie set where buildings were designed to lean over on unusual angles and the whole atmosphere was designed to be spooky you'd most likely say "this area is weird".
Chris from Los Angeles:
The meaning of strange is probably seen best in a word like a stranger. Someone or something unlike our own. Weird is about supernatural things. Things that don't exist in the normal sense of "distance" form us. But, perhaps on another level of existance. Inhumanlike conduct. Kids use weird to describe the unusual behaviour of a classmate that nobody would like. But, you know, it is an exageration to say someone is wierd unless that person is a ghost or something.That kid is really strange. He ate all his fruit before his sandwich. The same thing could be weird. But the one meaning is not so bad the kid from another country and his custom is strange. But, weird which could also be used means it is otherworldly or inhuman. Maybe monsterous. So in that case werid would be the stronger word. Strange can also means something like the supernatural. Weird originally meant the supernatural.
Sonya from United States:
The words "strange" and "weird" are similar enough that they can often be used in the same sentences. For example, "I got worried when I heard a strange noise outside." "I got worried when I heard a weird noise outside."
However, the two words do have different connotations. The word "strange" can be used to mean "unfamiliar." For example, "I always get lost when I am in a strange town." (But you wouldn't say, "I always get lost when I am in a weird town." because that would imply that you thought that there was something wrong with the town). "Strange" can also mean "out of the ordinary." For example, "I wonder if I should take my baby to the doctor. It is strange that he is sleeping for so many hours today."
The best synonyms for "weird" are "bizarre or eerie." When you say "weird", it carries a stronger sense of judgment, that you are saying something is so odd that is outside the range of normal (bizarre). "Strange" is a little gentler -- it can me anything between "slightly odd" (or unfamiliar) and "bizarre." Still, in many sentences either word would work. "What do you think of the new guy that Theresa is dating? Does he seem a little (strange/weird) to you?"
The word "strange" will be less likely to offend someone than the word "weird." For example, if you are talking with the parents of a student, you could say, "I have been noticing some strange behavior from Emma. Do you think there is something that is upsetting Emma at school or at home?" But if you said, "I have been noticing some weird behavior from Emma...." -- that will sound more judgmental, like you are saying there is something wrong with her (not just something unusual about her, a change from the way she ordinarily is). {Well, actually, it would be even more diplomatic to say "unusual behavior."}
Albela from India:
"Strange" refers to that which is out of the ordinary. It implies that the thing or its cause is unknown or unexplained; it is unfamiliar and unusual (e.g., a strange expression; traveled through strange lands).
"Weird" refers to that which is mysterious and apparently outside natural law. It is suggestive of the fateful intervention of supernatural influences in human affairs (e.g., the weird adventures of a group lost in the jungle; a weird and sinister laugh).
The difference between weird and strange is not large and is a bit difficult to describe, really. Weird inspires the creeps and strange seems off (out of the ordinary a bit). But they both can mean both of those things...so the line is blurred and practically non existent.
BikolJoe from Philippines:
Strange is closer to unusual while weird is more like bizarre or much stronger. It would be strange for Erap to support PGMA, it would be weird if he proposed marriage to her! Hahaha.
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