Further vs Farther
The difference between further and farther exists when it comes to their usage. However, the two words, further and farther, are often confused in their usage when this difference is not understood. Strictly speaking, the difference between further and farther does not extend so far as into their meanings as they give the same meaning according to the Oxford English dictionary. Both, further and farther, are used in the sense ‘at, to, or by a greater distance.’ However, the word further is used for non-physical distance while the word farther is used for physical distance. This is the main difference between the two words.
What does Further mean?
Further is basically used for non-physical distance. However, you will see that unlike farther, further covers a wide area of topics. It can be more time, more effort, etc. You can see that further is always associated with the meaning ‘more’ of something. Observe the two sentences given below.
He further states that it is impossible to do.
She further mentions that it is easy to do.
In both the sentences, you can see that the word further refers to non-physical distance. Also, further is used in the sense of ‘more.’ Hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘he states furthermore that it is impossible to do’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘she mentions moreover that it is easy to do’.
It is interesting to note that the word further is sometimes used in the sense of ‘additional’ as in the sentences given below.
He cooked the soup for a further five minutes.
She made further changes.
In both the sentences, the word further is used in the sense of ‘additional’. As a result the first sentence means ‘he cooked the soup for an additional five minutes.’ The second sentence means ‘she made additional changes.’ It is interesting to note that the word further is sometimes used as an adjective too as in the sentence given above.
What does Farther mean?
Unlike further, which is used for many topics, farther is always related to physical distance. Observe the two sentences given below.
The village is farther than the hill.
It is difficult to go farther.
In both the sentences, you can see that the word farther is used in the sense of physical distance. Hence, the meanings of both of the sentences are associated with physical measurements of distance such as more miles, more metres, more feet, etc. By present, further seems to be used even instead of farther.
What is the difference between Further and Farther?
• The word further is used for non-physical distance while the word farther is used for physical distance.
• Further means more time, more effort, etc. other than physical distance.
• Farther means more metres, more inches, more feet, etc.
• Further is sometimes used as an adjective too.
• However, by present, further is more and more used instead of farther as well.
These are the important differences between the two words, namely, further and farther.
Problems arise in metaphors which use ‘physical’ language, as in “looking further down the road”.