skillnad

Skillnad is a noun in Swedish that denotes difference or distinction between two or more things. It is used to describe how objects, qualities, quantities, or ideas are not the same. The term can refer to a qualitative distinction or a numerical difference, as in mathematics where one might speak of the skillnaden mellan talen två och fyra (the difference between the numbers two and four).

Etymology and forms: Skillnad comes from the verb skilja, meaning to separate or distinguish, with the noun-forming suffix -nad. The standard plural is skillnader. In Norwegian bokmål and nynorsk, the equivalent word is usually skillnad or skilnad, while Danish tends to use forskel or forskellighed for related concepts. In Swedish, skillnad is used in both formal and informal contexts, with common collocations such as en tydlig skillnad, en stor skillnad, eller en liten skillnad.

Usage: The word appears across domains—from everyday speech to science, journalism, and education. It can refer to differences in appearance, behavior, value, or measurement. Examples: Det finns en tydlig skillnad mellan dessa två modeller. Skillnaden mellan nominell och faktisk ränta kan vara viktig i ekonomiska analyser. In statistics or data analysis, skillnad can describe the gap or delta between observations.

See also: distinction, difference, avvik, differentiating. Note that skillnad is not the same as fark dig something; in Swedish, it is distinct from färdighet (skill or ability).