Difference between Someone and Somebody | Somebody vs Someone

What is the Difference between Someone vs. Somebody

These two words are commonly used to refer to people, but are there differences between these two words? In this article, we’ll explore what is meant by ‘someone’ as well as ‘somebody’, and how they differ or relate to each other. We shall also be looking at examples that distinguish these two words.

Table of Contents

• Table Summarising the Difference between Someone and Somebody
• The Meanings of Somebody and Someone
• Examples for Someone and Somebody
• Somebody vs. Someone – Conclusion

The words ‘somebody’ and ‘someone’ have no difference in meaning but are used differently – ‘someone’ is commonly used in written English while ‘somebody’ is used in spoken English. Moreover, both these words are pronouns and are used interchangeably. However, it is important to not use these two words with the plural form of a noun, for example, ‘Somebody of my friends is a musician’ is wrong – instead, it should be ‘One of my friends is a musician.’

Table Summarising the Difference between Someone and Somebody:

The Meanings of Someone and Somebody

As summarised in the table, the words ‘someone’ and ‘somebody’ have the same meanings. Moreover, they can be used as pronouns or nouns. It is also important to note that ‘someone’ and ‘somebody’ do not have any plural forms. Instead, you will have to use ‘some people’, for example, ‘Some people tried to jump from the windows of the burning building’.

Examples for Somebody and Someone:

We shall explore some examples:

• Someone
  • (As a pronoun) – There’s someone at the door.
  • (As a noun – a person of importance) – Timmy always said he wanted to see someone about his problem.
• Somebody
  • (As a pronoun) – There’s somebody behind the bushes.
  • (As a noun – a person of importance) – He had all the riches he could ever ask for, yet he yearned to be somebody.

Someone vs. Somebody – Conclusion

Grammar is one of the fundamentals of the English language. It’s what makes it so easy for fluent speakers to communicate with each other without any trouble. Grammar helps people stay organised in their writing skills. It helps people follow the rules of spelling, punctuation and word usage to create meaningful expressions and sentences. It also helps readers better understand what a writer means. In this article, we explored the difference between ‘someone’ and ‘somebody’ and learnt their accurate usage. Explore other English Difference Between articles or other important concepts in grammar, by registering with us at BYJU’S.