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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > "Word by word" vs "word for word"    

"Word by word" vs "word for word"



Tere-arg
Argentina

"Word by word" vs "word for word"
 
Can anyone tell me the difference between them?

Thanks in advance

27 Apr 2009      





Bruna!
Brazil

Word by word is like �step by step �, and word for word is in exactly the same words.

Smile

27 Apr 2009     



tea4er
Russian Federation

if i`m not mistaken word by word is used for showing a gradual process;
word for word - if you repeat smth word for word, you repeat it exactly as someone else said it or wrote it.   

27 Apr 2009     



libertybelle
United States

I don �t know that expression - word by word - I DO know Day by Day.
Word for word means verbatim.

27 Apr 2009     



Tere-arg
Argentina

Uff...Well... i am not sure if word by word is correct, then.

I have seen it in a translation site. In fact, it is part of the url (?)
http://www.wordbywordtranslations.com/

Thanks anyway

27 Apr 2009     



Spagman63
Hong Kong

Word by word seems to take each word one at a time.  Word for word would be taking the exact word and translating it EXACTLY(not always possible)

27 Apr 2009     



mamamima
Zimbabwe

i also know word for word means literally... I �m afraid I have never heard word by word as a set expression either. however it seems to be associated with gradual progress as suggested before. GOOD LUCK :)

27 Apr 2009     



Zora
Canada

I �ve never really paid attention to this before but to me it would be used something like this:

He read the text slowly, word by word.

He repeated the text back to me word for word. He recited it perfectly.


Word by word - each word at a time.

Word for word - each word literally.

Smile

27 Apr 2009     



Jayho
Australia

Hiya
 
Zora �s explanation is good.   Now that I think about it I do use both.
 
To the student who is speaking so fast that I can not catch what he/she is saying:  "please say that again slowly, word by word" meaning one word at a time
 
To the student, who is writing down my message:  Please write this down word for word (meaning eactly as I say it, as in dictation)
 
Cheers, Jayho
 
 
 

28 Apr 2009     



douglas
United States

I think Bruna explained it prety good.  
 
Example: If I do a word by word translation, I end up with something totally different than what the person/text was trying to say.
 
word by word--one word at a time (just like step by step--one step at a time)
 
word for word--you say/repeat exactly what the other person said 
(as Liberty said:verbatim)

30 Apr 2009