Nothing vs. Something

assertive pro-forms indefinite pronouns negative pro-forms no nothing some something

Main Similarity and Difference

'Something' and 'nothing' are both examples of indefinite pronouns.
They can be considered opposite, meaning that 'something' refers to a thing that is unknown or a thing that we do not know what it is.
On the other hand, 'nothing' means 'not anything'. It shows the lack of things.

Example

Something is wrong here. I can feel it.

Nothing is wrong here. Relax!

As you can see in the examples above, these two sentences have completely opposite meanings because of the use of 'something' and 'nothing'.
Now, look at another example:

Example

There's something you can do to help.

There's nothing you can do to help.

Bottom Line

As pronouns, the difference between 'something' and 'nothing' is that something is an uncertain or unspecified thing, while 'nothing' is not anything (no thing).

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Anything vs. Anyone

'Anything' and 'anyone' are two indefinite pronouns that have somehow similar spelling but they refer to different things. Let's see their differences.

Anything vs. Anything Else

What is the difference between 'anything' and 'anything else'? Do they have the same meaning? Let's see their similarities and differences.

Anything vs. Anythings

Can 'anything' as an indefinite pronoun be used in plural form? Is 'anythings' correct in standard English? Let's find out.

Nothing vs. No Thing

In this part we will discuss the different spelling of nothing with and without space between the two parts and we'll see which one is correct and more useful.

Nothing vs. Not Anything

One of the differences between 'nothing' and 'anything' is that the former is a negative making indefinite pronoun and the former is not. Let's discuss them!

Everything vs. Every Thing

'Everything' is considered one word and it is an indefinite pronoun. But what about its alternate spelling with space between the two parts? Is it also correct?

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