"Annerledes" and "forskjellig" - what's the difference?

First things first: yes, they both mean “different(ly)” in English. So how do we distinguish them?

To make it easier to understand the difference, I’ll start with two example sentences before I go into the theoretical explanation.

“Hunder er forskjellige.”

“Hunder er annerledes.”

These two sentences both mean “dogs are different”. But when you think about it, that can mean two things: dogs are different from each other (they vary), and dogs are different from something else (from cats for instance).

Forskjellig is used when you talk about an internal variation (inside of a group or a same individual/thing that varies). Saying “hunder er forskjellige” therefore means “there is variation between dogs, you find different kinds of dogs, dogs are different from other dogs”.

Annerledes is only used to compare something with something else, either another group or another individual/thing. In other words, it means it is not the same as this other (external) thing. “Hunder er annerledes” means that dogs are different from other animals or a specific kind of animal, depending on the context.

I could for instance say:

“Katter er late. Hunder er annerledes.”

(Cats are lazy. Dogs are different.)

Very often, however, using “annerledes” we do like to add what we are comparing something with using the preposition “enn”.

“Hunder er annerledes enn katter.”

You can do the same with “forskjellig” with the preposition “fra” and in that case “forskjellig” can also be used to talk about a difference between two groups / individuals.

“Hunder er forskjellige fra katter.”

= “Hunder er annerledes enn katter.”

But if you talk about an internal variation, you stick with “forskjellig(e)” and you don’t add any additional information to that.

Annerledes, when used to talk about people and without any supplement information, is often used in a slightly negative way.

“Hun er annerledes.”

This means she is different from others. Maybe she has special needs. Maybe she looks different. But it can also in some cases be positive: she is nicer than most people. She makes me feel special. So context is always the clue!

Now, what if I said:

“Hun er forskjellig.”

Of course the context is always important to really understand a sentence. But in a way it’s logical in itself: We all take on different roles in different situations, right? You are one person, but you vary in your different roles. Internal variation that is. At work, you do not behave the same way as with your family, with your neighbours and with your closest friends. The sentence could for instance continue like this:

“Hun er forskjellig når jeg er med henne alene, og når vi er sammen med familien hennes.”

(She is different when I am with her alone, and when we are together with her family.)

Ok, so now you know the two ways to say “different” and how they work. Let’s jump to the noun “difference”.

When you talk about two things not being the same, you use the word “en forskjell” (this is what is normally used because that is what we mostly talk about when we say “difference”).

“Det er (en) forskjell mellom nordmenn og svensker.”

(There is a difference between Norwegians and Swedes.)

The word “(en) annerledeshet” means “being different”, “not being like the others”. This word is not used as often as “annerledes”.

“Annerledeshet kan føles isolerende.”

Or just:

“Å være annerledes kan føles isolerende.”

(Being different can feel isolating.)

Ok, I’ll leave it there before your head explodes! Write me your questions or try and write a sentence or four in the comment field below using “annerledes” and “forskjellig”. I’ll let you know if you got it right or not :)

Ha en fin dag! :)

Silje