What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Pitfall vs Gotcha - What's the difference?

pitfall | gotcha |

As nouns the difference between pitfall and gotcha

is that pitfall is a potential problem, hazard, or danger that is easily encountered but not immediately obvious while gotcha is a potential problem or source of trouble.

As a contraction gotcha is

got you; have you; as in capture or apprehend.

pitfall

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • a potential problem, hazard, or danger that is easily encountered but not immediately obvious.
    • It's usually a simple task, but you should know the pitfalls before you attempt it yourself.
  • A type of trap consisting of a concealed hole in the ground: victims fall into the hole and are unable to escape
  • (computing) An anti-pattern.

    • Synonyms

    * : trap * : anti-pattern, dark pattern

    Derived terms

    * pitfalled

    gotcha

    English

    Alternative forms

    * gotchya

    Etymology 1

    Written form of a of got you .

    Contraction

    (en-cont)
  • (colloquial) Got you; have you; as in capture or apprehend.
    • I gotcha now, ya little twerp.
  • (colloquial) Understand; comprehend.
    • Yeah, I gotcha . Good thinkin'!
  • (colloquial) Got you covered, got your back; when you have an advantage or responsibility over someone.
    • Gotcha! Go on in...
  • (colloquial) Got you back; as in after causing some form of retaliation or revenge against someone.
    • Gotcha! And don't ever do that to me again.
  • (colloquial) Got you by surprise; Exclamation indicating a successful trick or prank.
    • Gotcha! They never notice the whoopie cushion!
  • (colloquial) Got you by surprise; as in engineering or computer programming; typically an unintended consequence or problem caused by a small variation in areas such as command syntax, function definition, results application.
    • Derived terms
    * gotcha keyword
    Related terms
    * getcha

    Etymology 2

    Direct acquisition of gotcha , the contraction of got you .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (colloquial) A potential problem or source of trouble.
    • Review the work thoroughly and make sure there are no gotchas .
  • (colloquial) An instance of publicly tricking someone or exposing them to ridicule, especially by means of an elaborate deception.
    • They change the number at random intervals and if you miss a sign, bingo - gotcha ! http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/gotcha
  • (colloquial) An instance of accomplishing a tricky idea or overcoming a difficult obstacle.
    • Now here's another few gotcha s that you can do to implement it.
    Derived terms
    * game of gotcha

    See also

    * gotta * letcha * letchya

    References

    English predicates