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.

What is the difference between text and chat?

text | chat |

As nouns the difference between text and chat

is that text is a writing consisting of multiple glyphs, characters, symbols or sentences while chat is {{cx|uncountable|lang=en}} Informal conversation.

As verbs the difference between text and chat

is that text is to send a text message to; i.e. to transmit text using the Short Message Service (SMS), or a similar service, between communications devices, particularly mobile phones while chat is to be engaged in informal conversation.

text

English

Noun

  • A consisting of multiple glyphs, characters, symbols or sentences.
  • A book, tome or other set of writings.
  • (colloquial) A brief written message transmitted between mobile phones; an SMS text message.
  • (computing) Data which can be interpreted as human-readable text (often contrasted with binary data ).
  • A verse or passage of Scripture, especially one chosen as the subject of a sermon, or in proof of a doctrine.
  • Hence, anything chosen as the subject of an argument, literary composition, etc.; topic; theme.
  • A style of writing in large characters; text-hand; also, a kind of type used in printing.
    • German text

    Derived terms

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Related terms

    (terms related to text) * context * pretext

    External links

    *

    Verb

  • To send a text message to; to transmit text using the Short Message Service (SMS), or a similar service, between communications devices, particularly mobile phones.
    • Just text me when you get here.
  • To send (a message) to someone by SMS.
    • I'll text the address to you as soon as I find it.
  • To send and receive text messages.
    • Have you been texting all afternoon?
  • To write in large characters, as in text hand.
  • *
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=2009 , year_published= , edition= , editor= , author=Lain Fenlon , title=Early Music History: Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Music , chapter= citation , genre=Music , publisher=Cambridge University Press , isbn=9780521746540 , page= p. 223 , passage=The basic plan is simple. For the first two phrases the texted' line is above the '''untexted'''; for the next two, bring us to the midpoint cadence, the '''texted''' line is for the most part lower; and the in the second half the ' texted material starts lower, moves into the upper position and finally occupies the bottom range again. }}

    Synonyms

    * (to send a text message to) message, SMS (UK)

    chat

    English

    (wikipedia chat)

    Etymology 1

    Abbreviation of chatter . The bird sense refers to the sound of its call.

    Verb

    (chatt)
  • To be engaged in informal conversation.
    • She chatted with her friend in the cafe.
    I like to chat over a coffee with a friend.
  • To talk more than a few words.
    • I met my old friend in the street, so we chatted for a while.
  • To talk of; to discuss.
    • They chatted politics for a while.
  • To exchange text or voice messages in real time through a computer network, as if having a face-to-face conversation.
    • Do you want to chat online later?

    Noun

  • Informal conversation.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
    • , title=(The China Governess) , chapter=Foreword citation , passage=Reg liked a chat about old times and we used to go and have a chinwag in the pub.}}
  • A conversation to stop an argument or settle situations.
  • An exchange of text or voice messages in real time through a computer network, resembling a face-to-face conversation.
  • Any of various small Old World passerine birds in the subfamily Saxicolini that feed on insects.
    • Derived terms
    * backchat * chatroom * chat up * stonechat * whinchat

    Etymology 2

    Compare chit'' "small piece of paper", and ''chad''.William Safire, ''The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time , p. 43, Simon and Schuster, 2007 ISBN 1416587403.

    Noun

  • A small potato, such as is given to swine.

    • References

    Etymology 3

    Origin unknown.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Mining waste from lead and zinc mines.
  • * 2006 , Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day , Vintage 2007, p. 441:
    • Frank had been looking at calcite crystals for a while now [...] among the chats or zinc tailings of the Lake County mines, down here in the silver lodes of the Vita Madre and so forth.

    Etymology 4

    From .

    Alternative forms

    * chatt

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • .
  • * 1977 , Mary Emily Pearce, Apple Tree Lean Down , page 520:
    • 'Do officers have chats , then, the same as us?'
    'Not the same, no. The chats they got is bigger and better, with pips on their shoulders and Sam Browne belts.'
  • * 2007 , How Can I Sleep when the Seagull Calls? (ISBN 978-1-4357-1811-1), page 18:
    • May a thousand chats from Belgium crawl under their fingers as they write.
  • * 2013 , Graham Seal, The Soldiers' Press: Trench Journals in the First World War (ISBN 1137303263), page 149:
    • Trench foot'' was a nasty and potentially fatal foot disease commonly caused by these conditions, in which ''chats or body lice were the bane of all.

    Etymology 5

    Noun

    (en noun)

    • Anagrams

    * (l), (l), (l), (l) ----