“Continual” vs. “Continuous”

Continuous and continual come from the same Latin word—“continuus”—but they have slightly different meanings.

Don’t panic! There’s an easy visual trick that can help you remember what these words mean. We’ll show you below and go over definitions, synonyms, and example sentences to illustrate how to use continuous and continual correctly.

This wasn’t always the case, though. Read on to learn a bit more about the history of these two words.

What Does “Continuous” Mean?

Continuous is an adjective that describes something as “nonstop” or “without interruption.”

If you’ve ever been around a newborn baby, it can seem like their crying is continuous, or never-ending, or even infinite. Now, infinite and continuous aren’t exact synonyms, but they’re similar enough and can help you remember what the latter means. The consecutive “ouo” is not common in English words, so when you see it in the word continuous, the curve of these letters can help you picture an infinity symbol. Therefore, it can assist you in remembering that continuous means “constant” or “everlasting.”

Think about it like this: The curves of the letters “ouo” can resemble the infinity symbol, which can help you remember “continuous” is similar to “never-ending.”

Here are a few example sentences that contain the word continuous:

Synonyms for “Continuous”

Here are a few words you can use instead of continuous:

Constant

Nonstop

Perpetual

Sustained

Unbroken

Uninterrupted

What Does “Continual” Mean?

Continual means “happening frequently or regularly, but not necessarily without interruptions.” In other words, something described as continual can occur with intermittent breaks. For example, your best friends’ continual bickering means they often fight about whom you like more, but there are breaks or pauses between the bouts.

Here are a few example sentences that contain the word continual:

Synonyms for “Continual”

Cyclical

Frequent

Periodic

Repeated

Recurrent

Sporadic

Using “Continuous” and “Continual” Correctly

It’s easier than it seems! Just keep in mind that:

• Continuous means “uninterrupted”
• Continual means “repeated but with pauses”

For continuous writing progress, use LanguageTool as your spell and grammar checker. Not only will it help you avoid making continual errors, but it will also ensure optimal style and word choice. Try it out today—it’s free!