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Can you please tell me if there are there contexts where you would use the phrase time frame rather than the word window when talking about an interval of time? For example, do both sound perfectly natural and mean the same thing in the context below?

Kate will arrive within a three-hour time frame.

Kate will arrive within a three-hour window.

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  • I would never say "time frame."
    – BillOnne
    Commented Sep 22, 2022 at 22:55
  • Time frame has become popular since the 1960's -- see books.google.com/ngrams/…
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented Sep 23, 2022 at 2:34
  • time frame and window [of time] do not mean the same thing at all.
    – Lambie
    Commented Oct 23, 2022 at 15:49
  • I think both of these uses are OK and mean the same thing. Personally, I use "window" for this, when I am talking about a range with a start and an end during which an event will happen. but I don't know exactly when.
    – BadZen
    Commented Aug 2, 2023 at 20:05

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Time frame has become fairly popular since the 1960's

If you look over a greater time frame, there have been some uses in the 16th and 17th century.

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Generally, if you refer to a "window" in this context, you may be talking about an unspecified time period. This is not a universal condition, but it's common. One might talk about a "launch window" for a missile, in which case there is a definite period being duscussed. On the other hand, you might talk about a "window of opportunity" in very general terms.

The term "time frame" always refers to a specified time period.

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    I think it’s more common for a window to have a start and end. For example, when I order groceries online, I choose a 2 hour “delivery window” during which the groceries should arrive.
    – Ben Murphy
    Commented Jul 4, 2023 at 9:05
  • Yes, a window has a definite start and an end - even if these are unknown. A "frame" does not, necessarily - for example when speaking about time sense in language here on ELL, I often talk about "time frame".
    – BadZen
    Commented Aug 2, 2023 at 20:03

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