In written English, I always have used them interchangeably, but I guess there must be a difference in use for both.
What are the differences between those 2 characters? When to use one or another?
asked Dec 2, 2020 at 21:22
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17It is not normal to use the character '=' at all unless you are writing about mathematical or scientific equations. What is your context?– Colin FineCommented Dec 2, 2020 at 21:30
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@ColinFine Don't really have one. Throughout my life as an English student, I have sometimes used them interchangeably. I know the use for the character "=" in maths, but I was wondering if It could also be applied to a list of terms for example... If you want a context, I could tell you essays, articles, reviews...etc.– Adrián JaramilloCommented Dec 2, 2020 at 21:37
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14Examples, please. Aside from technical writing, I would not expect to see '=' anywhere in English prose.– Colin FineCommented Dec 2, 2020 at 21:41
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8Probably somebody has written definitions that way. I doubt if you would find a style guide anywhere that accepted it. People will understand it, but it is not the norm– Colin FineCommented Dec 2, 2020 at 21:52
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1I see, and occasionally even use, = in informal prose. It's always a shorthand for "is the same as", "is equivalent to" or something similar.– Chris HCommented Dec 3, 2020 at 13:16
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1 Answer
The symbol "=" is an "equals sign" and is normally a substitute for the word "equals". It is almost always used in writing mathematical equations or in writing about mathematics. It is sometimes, in informal writing, used is a sort of metaphorical way. For example someone might write "killing = murder" to indicate that they are the same thing. It pretty much always indicates that two expressions have the same meaning of value.
I have also seen "=" used on a political protest sign used as a shorthand for "equality" in the political sense. This is also a very informal use.
The symbol ":" is the colon. It has several uses in written English. It can introduce a list, it can separate an introductory clause from a clause that is a complete sentence, it can separate a premise from a conclusion (now a rare usage), it is used to separate hours from minutes in an expression of time. None of these uses involve equating one thing with another. I cannot think of any situation in which a colon and an equals sign can be used interchangeably.
answered Dec 2, 2020 at 21:44
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Hey. I just added a couple of words in the first sentence, because many people are more familiar with this term of "equal to". I hope you don't mind me changing that. If you think it is wrong, I guess you can rollback the edit. Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 9:12
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7@Dhanishtha Ghosh To the best of my knowledge this (=) is always called the "equals sign":and never the "equal to sign" Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 9:15
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1@GrzegorzOledzki I have never seen "one-on-one" meeting abbreviated "1=1 meeting. Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 12:48
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8@GrzegorzOledzki The colon can also be used as an abbreviation of the word "to" in certain contexts, usually involving ratios (e.g. "5:1 mixture of flour and sugar"). In the case of the meeting, it's referring to the ratio of the workers and managers present at the meeting (one of each). Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 13:00