What difference can a single letter make?
Speaking English correctly can be tricky! You will often find words that are very similar. If you don’t know their differences, you might make rookie mistakes. On top of that, if both words have similar meanings you can bet you could get into trouble! But here we are to help you out!
“Later” and “latter” are very similar words; only one “t” differentiates them! Their meanings are very similar, so it is likely that you have confused them in the past. These words should not be used in the same context. That’s why you should not miss this information! Stay with us and discover the differences between these two!
Let”s start with “later”
What kind of word is it and how is it used?
“Later” represents both an adverb and an adjective. But don’t let technicalities overwhelm you; we’ll explain what those terms mean.
An adverb is a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies other words or groups of words. Adverbs often end in –ly, but some of them look exactly the same as their adjectives, as happens with “later”.
An adverb can modify, for example, a verb. Let’s see an example: “He dances vigorously”. In this case, the adverb describes how the subject performs the action of dancing.
It can also modify an adjective to enhance its characteristics: “He was impressively tall” In this case, the adjective “tall” is preceded by the adverb “impressively”, which indicates that the person is taller than normal. Like LeBron James: he is really, really tall!
An adverb can also modify a complete sentence. If we say, for instance, “Unfortunately, I had to leave earlier” we are modifying the sentence with a feeling that comes from the fact of having had to leave earlier.
After clarifying the context, let’s back to the matter at hand! “Later” as an adverb refers to time. We use “later” to refer to a time in the near future or after a time you have already mentioned.
But enough theory, let’s look at some examples with “later” as an adverb:
“I’ll be back later” – someone will return to the same place after a short period.
“What are you doing later?” – someone is asking for same-day plans
You can also use “later on” as an alternative to referring to a future time:
“Later on, we could go to the movies” – movies will happen the same day. Please, buy some popcorn!
“What are you doing later on this evening?”
You can also use the variation “no later than” to refer to a time limit:
“She said she’d prefer us to arrive no later than nine o”clock” – after nine will be too late!
“Later” is also the comparative form of the adjective late. “Later” as an adjective refers to a time in the near future. The difference is that the adjective is used to modify a noun:
“We could take a later plane” – Maybe not taking the 6:00 am plane but taking the 10:00 am one.
“We should look for a later date” – The groom got cold feet and wants to postpone the wedding!
As you have seen, “later” refers to a time in the future. In fact, if you use the expression “see you later” to say goodbye, you are telling the person you hope to see them at another time in the future. You can also abbreviate it and just say “later!” or “laters” if you are not in the US.
Tip, tip, tip: when you are sure that something is going to happen, and you feel like a fortuneteller, you can say that it will happen “sooner or later”.
Talking about “latter”
“Latter” is related to “later” but they do not mean the same thing. Latter refers to something that occurs near the end of a period, something that is subsequent to a “later” time, or the last thing or person mentioned. For example:
“The latter part of the concert was the most fun” – The second part (of the two parts) was better.
“Her best works were composed at the latter part of her life”
To explain further: “Latter” is the antonym of “former”. When we talk about the latter part of the concert or the latter part of that person’s life, we refer to the ending part of those periods.
As said, we can also use “latter” when we talk about two things. and we want to refer to the last of them in a sentence:
“I had a choice between apple and pear. I chose the latter” (the pear)
“Between the red shirt and the black one, I prefer the latter” (black is our choice!)
“Between pizza and hamburger, I prefer to eat the latter” (hamburgers with cheese, please!)
A quick addition: as for pronunciation, later is pronounced with an “A” as in hate or cake. While latter is pronounced with an “A” as in matter.
To Sum Up
At this point, you probably have an idea of the differences between these two words, but let”s review them just in case to give your brain some dope hope!
To speak of a future time, we use the word “later”:
“I will review it later”
“We should schedule a later date”
When we want to say goodbye to someone, we can say “see you later”, “later” or “laters!”
To talk about the ending part of a period, such as someone’s lifetime, we use the word “latter”:
“He was more honest in the latter part of his life” (or so we believed!)
Also, if we want to refer to the last of the two items mentioned we say “the latter”:
“I like the cat and the dog but the latter is noisier” (the doggo barks out loud)
Finally, let’s give you some common phrases used with these words:
“Sooner or later”
“Former or latter”
“See you later, alligator!”
Our later advice!
Do you still find it difficult? No problem, if you put these words into practice, later on, everything will become easier! We hope this information has worked for you. Be careful to always use the right word, sooner than later it can change everything for you!