Farther, Further
Use the word farther when you mean physical distance, like if you run farther than your friend. Use further for basically everything else. Further refers to abstractions like ideas or thoughts.
Farther is more restrictive because it refers to physical distance. It’s got the word "far" in there to help you remember. Here are some examples:
Furthermore, further refers to figurative distance. It’s not the kind you measure with a ruler but like when you think further about something. It’s the older word of the two, and often does double duty. Here are some examples:
Some people use think farther and further are the same, but nothing could be further from the truth! (See what we did there?) Okay actually some say they are the same. Historically, they were interchangeable, but like friends growing further apart, they now each have their own meaning. Farther is used literally, and further is used figuratively. (Description from Vocabulary.com) |