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Let's say a client is asking a question online, and you put him on hold to confirm your will be answer to your manager, because you want a sure answer before you give it to the inquirer. You say:

Could you please wait just a moment while I confirm this.

Or

Could you hold on a minute while I confirm this. (I think this is better)

Which is more ok to say? As I've said, I believe sentence 2 is better than sentence 1.

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Both have the same meaning in real life.

A minute is very exactly defined scientifically (= 60 seconds), but in this context it means just a little.

The funny story is that "moment" was also defined as a unit of measurement of time, long as X seconds and Y fractions of a second. Unfortunately, I do not remember the numbers, since I read about it a very long time ago.

Also, moment is nowadays used to be synonymous with "a very short time".

What is even funnier is that colloquially, the following also mean the same thing:

Please wait a second.

Please wait a minute.

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  • While they have the same meaning, "hold on a minute" is notably more casual than "please wait just a moment." The latter is more formal and professional and should be preferred in formal situations.
    – TypeIA
    Commented May 22, 2019 at 12:13

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