Woods vs. Forest 

"Woods" vs. "Forest" in English

What Is Their Main Difference?

They both refer to vast lands with tall trees and lots of greenery in which different kinds of wild animals live. However, a 'forest' is much bigger and encompasses more trees, whereas, the 'woods' has a fewer trees. Originally, 'woods' simply meant trees, and 'forest' referred to 'fir trees'.

Differences

A 'forest' is larger than a 'woodland' or simply the 'woods'. It encompasses more trees, especially fir trees. The 'woods' has fewer trees in comparison. Always remember that we must always use 'the' before 'woods'. Look at the examples below:

Example

Scooby-doo and his friends went to the woods tonight.

I think I saw something moving in the woods.

I'd love to camp in a forest once in my life.

This forest looked so small from above.

Similarities

Both refer to lands that encompass many huge, tall trees. Take a look below:

Example

They said we're gonna take a walk in the forest, but they never came back.

That van is headed towards the woods.

Are They Interchangeable?

Most native speakers use them interchangeably. However, remember their differences if you want to be specific. Compare:

Example

✓ Take me away from these monstrous two-legged creatures. I'd rather live in a forest.

✓ Take me away from these monstrous two-legged creatures. I'd rather live in the woods.

Comments

(0)
Loading Recaptcha...
Share on :
books
Learn English VocabularyStart learning categorized English vocabulary on Langeek.
Click to start
LanGeek
Download LanGeek app