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Guideline vs Standards - What's the difference?

guideline | standards |

As nouns the difference between guideline and standards

is that guideline is a non-specific rule or principle that provides direction to action or behaviour while standards is plural of lang=en.

As a verb standards is

(plural form only): Pertaining to standards, concerned with standards, specific to standards.

guideline

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A non-specific rule or principle that provides direction to action or behaviour.
    • He considered the Ten Commandments more a guideline than a requirement.
  • A plan or explanation to guide one in setting standards or determining a course of action.
  • A light line, used in lettering, to help align the text.

    • Synonyms

    * (non-specific rule) rule of thumb * (plan or explanation) rule of thumb

    standards

    English

    Noun

    (head)

    • Verb

    (head)
  • (plural form only): Pertaining to standards, concerned with standards, specific to standards.
    • There is some sign of disparate standards bodies becoming more closely aligned.
    Usage notes
    A body or organization that dictates standards' does not exist to confer details about a single standard. ''Standard'' as an adjective generally refers to a specific version of a ''standard'' issued by a '''standards''' institution; that ''standard'' version itself will actually be a list of many individual ''standards''. For example, ANSI ''Standard'' MUMPS refers to the 1995 MUMPS programming language specification issued by the American National '''Standards''' Institute, a '''standards organization. 1995 MUMPS ''standard'' specifies many ''standards'' that a programming language must adhere to, to be legitimately recognised as "''standard MUMPS." ----