Look vs See
Though look and see are two words in the English language that look alike when it comes to their meaning and connotation, it should be noted that there is a difference between look and see. Look and see are to be used with a difference and hence are not interchangeable. Look is used as a verb as well as a noun. See, on the other hand, is only used as a verb. Besides from this general information about look and see, there is another interesting fact. There are a number of phrases that use look and see. For example, as far as I can see, as I see it, look one’s age, look before you leap, etc.
What does Look mean?
The word look is used to indicate the sense of to look at something for a reason, with an intention. Observe the two sentences given below:
Look at that strange animal.
Look at the drawings I made last night.
In both the sentences given above the word look is used in the sense of looking at something with an intention.
Sometimes the word look is used in the emphatic sense as in the sentence ‘Look at this shot!’. Here the speaker was thrilled by the baseball shot executed by the player. He could not contain his happiness. Hence, he was explaining to his friend nearby about the shot with the words ‘Look at this shot.’
The usage of the word look sometimes is shifted to mean concentrate or focus as in the sentence, ‘Look at me’. In this sentence, the lover was asking her friend to look at her. She was only trying to shift the focus of the friend towards her. In such a case the word see would not make the necessary sense. She would not have said ‘See me.’ It would not have made any sense had she uttered so.
What does See mean?
On the other hand, the word see is used to convey the meaning of to see something that comes within the range of your sight even if you are not intent on looking at it. This is the important difference between the two words, look and see.
Observe the two sentences given below:
Did you see the girl?
I saw you today in the park.
In both the sentences given above the word see is used in the sense of seeing something with no intention of seeing it.
On the other hand, the word see is used in the sense of observation as in the sentence ‘I see the difference’. In this sentence, the speaker could observe the difference between two objects or persons and hence he was explaining the observed difference to his friend as ‘I see the difference’.
What is the difference between Look and See?
• The word look is used to indicate the sense of to look at something for a reason, with an intention. The word see is used in the sense of seeing something with no intention of seeing it. This is, in fact, the major difference between the two words.
• Sometimes the word look is used in the emphatic sense.
• Sometimes, the word see is used in the sense of observation.
• The word look sometimes is shifted to mean concentrate or focus.
The difference between the two words, look and see, should be carefully observed if you want to write right or speak right.