tell apart

verb

1. tr, adverb to distinguish between; discern

   can you tell the twins apart?

Idioms and Phrases

Discern or distinguish, as in It's hard to tell the twins apart . [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

This helps vendors when related species are difficult to tell apart and is expected to reduce mislabelling.

From Salon

Side by side, Gonzalez said the two widows are fairly easy to tell apart — at least when it comes to adult females.

From Los Angeles Times

Scientists have shown that people are able to tell apart morning from evening depictions in paintings using simple and subtle colour clues in the image.

From Science Daily

"But there is a lot we don't know -- especially the smaller nocturnal animals that can be difficult to tell apart from one another."

From Science Daily

There are an estimated 48 different species of PACs, and they can be difficult to tell apart from harmless species like seaweeds because their morphology varies significantly when it comes to color, shape, and structure.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• analyze
• categorize
• characterize
• determine
• differentiate
• discriminate
• divide
• figure out
• identify
• know
• qualify
• recognize
• separate