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Historic vs. historical are very close in meaning, but there is a subtle difference between these easily confused words. One relates to moments or buildings that are important in history, whereas the other relates to something in the past that was not necessarily important.
Hundreds of years ago, they would have been considered synonyms, but their meanings have diverged over time, and now they’re no longer interchangeable.
Keep reading to find out the difference between historic and historical, and then try your hand at the quiz questions at the end of this blog post.
Table of Contents
Historic Meaning
The word historic is usually reserved for important moments in history or famous old buildings and artifacts.
The American author William Safire wrote in the New York Times Magazine in 1992, that “any past event is historical, but only the most memorable ones are historic.”
Examples of Historic in a Sentence
- The children didn’t really understand what was going on, but they knew they were witnessing what would be a historic occasion.
- Her trip around Italy was a whirlwind of historic buildings, beautiful windy streets, and delicious gelato.
- The robbers broke into the museum and stole several historic artifacts.
Historical Meaning
The word historical is a generic term that means related to the past or “having the character of history.” It’s used to refer to anything that happened or existed in the past that wasn’t particularly momentous.
According to Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage, “historical is occasionally used (but mostly during the 19c.) in the same way as historic … but this use is to be discouraged.”
Examples of Historical in a Sentence
- The members of the historical society were up in arms about the decision to cancel the trip to Stonehenge.
- Her favorite genre of books to edit is historical novels, particularly those set in World War II.
- The historical data was interesting, but it didn’t have much relevance to how consumers shop nowadays.
A vs. An Historic/Historical
Whether you use a or an before historic and historical depends on whether you pronounce the h. If you drop the h and pronounce it “istoric,” then you would write an historic. If you pronounce the h, write a historic.
A historic/a historical is more common in American English, whereas an historic/an historical is common in certain regions of the UK where some people pronounce the words as “istoric” or “istorical.”
According to Google Ngram, a historic has been gaining popularity over an historic since the 1940s.
More Grammar Posts
Historic vs. Historical Quiz Questions
Choose the best word to complete each sentence. The answers are at the bottom of this blog post.
- When she stood on the historic/historical battlefield where her grandfather died, she wept.
- In a change from the norm, the historic/historical society visited a building that was built just last year.
- He was a historic/historical figure in the world of art and design.
- He accused her of living in the past because she read so many historic/historical novels.
- The famous old theater is a historic/historical landmark to many people.
Final Thoughts on Historic vs. Historical
The best way to remember the difference between historic and historical is to determine if the event or building you’re talking about is considered important or momentous. If it is, then historic is the correct word. Use historical if you’re talking about anything else that happened or existed in the past that is not necessarily considered important.
Historic vs. Historical Quiz Answers
- When she stood on the historic battlefield where her grandfather died, she wept.
- In a change from the norm, the historical society visited a building that was built just last year.
- He was a historic figure in the world of art and design.
- He accused her of living in the past because she read so many historical novels.
- The famous old theater is a historic landmark to many people.
