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Joe's Cafe, 24/7 pit stop for ESL learners and teachers | March 2009
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Optimum or optimal?

Is there a difference between optimum and optimal?

As adjectives, they have the same meaning: best; most favourable; most conducive to a good result

They both come from the Latin optimus, meaning “best”.

Look at these examples:

  • What is the optimum/optimal childbearing age?
  • We need to find the optimal/optimum solution.
  • In our case, the optimum/optimal investment would produce a modest return at no risk.

Optimum can also be a noun, while optimal has two derivatives:

  • optimally (adverb)
  • optimality (noun)
Joe | Saturday, March 7th, 2009 | Filed under Vocabulary

39 Responses to “Optimum or optimal?”

  1. Terry says:
    16th March 2009 at 4:00 am

    Good! Thanks!

  2. teresita says:
    22nd March 2009 at 2:52 pm

    EXCELENT, VERY CLEAR, TAHNKS!!!!!

  3. teresita says:
    22nd March 2009 at 2:52 pm

    EXCELENT, VERY CLEAR, THANKS!!!!!!!

  4. moussa says:
    24th March 2009 at 4:47 pm

    great, very good, thanks!!!!

  5. Bahar Sarafrazi says:
    25th March 2009 at 1:31 am

    thanks a lot because of your information in this site.that’s wonderful

  6. amelia says:
    26th March 2009 at 1:39 pm

    thanks… but i am still confuse how to use the derivative of one word. any suggestion?

  7. Manit says:
    12th April 2009 at 1:51 am

    Good,thanks a lot. I have understood quite well.

  8. Pearl Nguyen says:
    14th April 2009 at 6:05 am

    Optimal / Optimum explaination. Thanks.

  9. NISHA says:
    14th April 2009 at 7:16 am

    GOOD,THANKS

  10. Fasih says:
    14th April 2009 at 7:53 am

    Another addition to my knowledge of English language, thanks for good expaination.

  11. Sara Adam says:
    14th April 2009 at 8:19 am

    Great , thanks

  12. Abdisalam.O.Mohamud says:
    14th April 2009 at 9:12 am

    Thank you indeed Mr.Josef Essberger,Founder
    Englishclub.ocm.
    Iam very grateful to you how you assisted alot of people around the world to learn English Language through Internet.
    So far, I gained alot from this programme of Englishclub, now I am learner of this language but Iam hopeful to be a teacher in the future.
    In addition to that, I advised freinds of mine who are interesting to learn English to join in this Englishclub.
    Thanks again Mr.Josef Essberger.

    On the other hand, the words optimum, optimal.I have not known before, so it is very useful for me to learn them.
    Now I have understood the difference between them.

  13. João Ghizoni says:
    14th April 2009 at 11:33 am

    Thanks a lot, Mr. Essberger. Very clear and straighforward explanation. Congratulations. Would you mind checking these examples?

    - Optimality is the level we should reach before we say we’re able to speak fluently.

    - Speaking English optimally entitles you to communicate wherever you go.

    Examples with ‘optimum/optimal’ you’ve already given, right?
    (João, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil)

  14. jyoti says:
    14th April 2009 at 11:57 am

    thank u

  15. Jose Rodolfo says:
    14th April 2009 at 1:28 pm

    Excelent, thanks a lot.

  16. sen says:
    14th April 2009 at 1:50 pm

    Thanks for confirming the equivalence of the two words. Your question put a doubt in my mind and forced me to probe further by clicking ” read further” in the ESL newsletter. Very good question!!

  17. vksingh says:
    14th April 2009 at 2:11 pm

    good difference for esl learner,inhibition in the use of these words is eliminated.

  18. mahmoud says:
    14th April 2009 at 2:28 pm

    Thanks a lot

  19. Ricardo Loli says:
    14th April 2009 at 6:13 pm

    tHERE ARE ALWAYS COMPLICATED WORDS WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND AND BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN ,SOMETIMES

  20. leyla says:
    14th April 2009 at 7:53 pm

    thanks , it’s a new world for me

  21. Linda k hollywood says:
    15th April 2009 at 1:08 am

    Very good and excellent verb Optimum and optimal
    is mean best or good level and the verb ” optimist”
    I think is the same meaning verb optimal.

    Good Luck
    Linda kosolsak (Hollywood)

  22. Hamon says:
    15th April 2009 at 12:23 pm

    Very usefull. I sometimes think that they are only adj. So, it’s exciting. Thanks very muc!

  23. shalva says:
    15th April 2009 at 12:58 pm

    Thanks a lot for this explanation.

  24. sayed says:
    15th April 2009 at 3:22 pm

    how ammazing!
    It is very clear

  25. sayed says:
    15th April 2009 at 3:24 pm

    how amazing

  26. jalil anti khomeyni says:
    17th April 2009 at 6:18 am

    Nice, So pleased I am.

  27. Bakhtiar says:
    18th April 2009 at 6:37 am

    Fantastic

  28. Fathid says:
    18th April 2009 at 1:06 pm

    Fathid Both words are alike, they have the same meaning but grammatically optimum is the noun and optimal is the adjective thanking you, I think is not enough for you Mr Josef Essberger you deserve the best regards and also the best, Fathd

  29. mohamed says:
    18th April 2009 at 6:21 pm

    Hi
    That’s great many thanks
    Rgds
    Med

  30. zoubir tazia says:
    19th April 2009 at 4:36 pm

    thanks so much for your information.truely , these words are new for me and i’ll use them in the future .

  31. Jacky Liu says:
    20th April 2009 at 6:57 am

    Perfect, that is the first time to clear the two words so much. thanks!

  32. Monalisa says:
    23rd April 2009 at 4:42 am

    Hi there,

    I was very exciting when reading your explanation and found it very useful. This is a new word to me and I applied it promptly in my writing.

    Thanks for helping us in learning English effectively.

    Please do me a favour as I have to write a proposal but still not know how to structure this document. Please could you give me some advise/instruction on this matter?

    Many thanks with best regards,
    Monalisa

  33. laphinh says:
    23rd April 2009 at 6:42 am

    thank you it gained me a lot

  34. Jose Romeu Pioltine says:
    23rd April 2009 at 12:49 pm

    Thanks a lot for the excellent comments.

  35. zedda says:
    3rd May 2009 at 2:35 pm

    very good, quiet interesting. you should carry on enhancing our vocabulary with such explanation.

  36. Justo says:
    18th May 2009 at 9:24 am

    I found the explanation good, although that word is not widely used in spoken English, it is rather used in written English, one is likely to find it in newspapers and the like.

    Cordially yours:

    Professor Justo Hernández Castell

  37. Justo says:
    18th May 2009 at 9:30 am

    I repeat, I find the explanation about optimum and optimal quite good, but again, that word is not widely used in spoken English but in the written one like newspapers and the like.

    Cordially yours,

    Professor Justo Hernández Castell

  38. sara says:
    18th July 2009 at 11:36 am

    thank you

  39. joseph says:
    23rd August 2009 at 7:15 am

    Amazing!

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