Untangle vs Untie - What's the difference?

As verbs the difference between untangle and untie

is that untangle is to remove tangles or knots while untie is to loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of.

(untangl)

To remove tangles or knots.

With gentle combing, untangle your hair.

(by extension) To remove confusion or mystery.

It took awhile, but he finally untangled the problem.

* disentangle

* tangle

To loosen, as something interlaced or knotted; to disengage the parts of.

to untie a knot

* (rfdate), Waller:

Sacharissa's captive fain / Would untie his iron chain.

To free from fastening or from restraint; to let loose; to unbind.

* Shakespeare, Macbeth , act 4, scene 1:

Though you untie the winds, and let them fight / Against the churches.

* (rfdate), Jeremy Taylor:

All the evils of an untied tongue we put upon the accounts of drunkenness.

To resolve; to unfold; to clear.

* (rfdate), Denham:

They quicken sloth, perplexities untie .

To become untied or loosed.

* tie