Ghetto vs. Slum 

"Ghetto" vs. "Slum" in English

What Is Their Main Difference?

Both refer to the in which people live. However, a 'ghetto' is an area in which a group of people with the same religion or nationality, etc. The people in 'ghettos' are mostly poor. A 'slum, on the other hand, is where there is extreme poverty, filth and dirt, and people from different religions and communities live along side one another.

Differences

As stated above, a 'ghetto' is where people of a common nationality, religion, or state live alongside one another. Most of them make little money. Look at the examples below:

Example

Many Jews lived in ghettos in the past.

The government has decided to visit some ghettos near the capital.

'Slums', however, are extremely dirty and poor places where people of different nationalities, religions, etc. live alongside each other. Take a look at the examples below:

Example

Gatsby was born in a slum.

Not all of the rich people come from slums, you know.

Similarities

Both of them refer to a particular place in which people live. Let us look at the following examples:

Example

The increasing number of slums has become a threat to many countries.

Many Muslims live ghettos in this country.

Are They Interchangeable?

Some people tend to use them interchangeably. However, if you want to emphasize the point that a particular group of people lives in an area, you have to use 'ghetto' because different groups of people live in slums. Compare:

Example

✓ It is unfair to throw those different from us away and make them live in ghettos.

✓ It is unfair to throw those different from us away and make them live in slums.

This one is correct but it has a different meaning than the above one.

Comments

(1)
Loading Recaptcha...
Regina Helton
Mar 2024
Language keeps history alive...
Reply
Loading Recaptcha...
Share on :
Share on :
books
Learn English VocabularyStart learning categorized English vocabulary on Langeek.
Click to start

Recommended

Get vs. Have

bookmark
Now, are you ready to work on all the details about these two confusing words? Don't worry it'll be so much fun. C'mon.

Guilt vs. Shame

bookmark
Now, how about some tricky vocabulary words? I know you might think 'what's with all these words?' but trust me, you'll learn a lot.

Gossip vs. Slander

bookmark
Now, let's expand our vocabulary a bit, don't you think so? What are you waiting for? We wanna talk about the differences and similarities of these two.

Goal vs. Ambition

bookmark
This time, we're gonna focus on telling you all the details about these two confusing words. Ready? Still interested, aren't you?

Gift vs. Present

bookmark
Now, we've decided to teach you all there is about these two confusing words. Do you know their differences and similarities? C'mon.

Get vs. Take

bookmark
Now, let's analyze some confusing grammatical pairs. Many beginners confuse these two. So, I'm here to explain everything about them.
LanGeek
Download LanGeek app