Key Difference: A comment is considered as an observation or a statement that expresses a fact or an opinion on a matter. A commentary is usually a detailed explanation of a discussion about a certain event, on a specific topic or a piece of writing.

The terms ‘comment’ and ‘commentary’ are confusing terms because of how similar they are. For many people that are learning English, these two terms might seem the same. However, they are not! A comment and a commentary are similar but they refer to two different things. A comment refers to a remark or a statement made about something. It is usually short. While, a commentary is a long discussion made regarding an event.

A comment is considered as an observation or a statement that expresses a fact or an opinion on a matter. A comment can also be a written statement regarding specific matter. For example, after reading a book, the reader may be asked to provide a comment. The reader states, “The book was exciting in the beginning, but did not grasp my attention towards the end.” This would be considered as a comment based on the opinion of the reader. Another example would be a person walking down on the street sees a blue flower. He pauses and tells his friend to see the blue flower. This would be considered as a comment based on a fact.

Comments can also be considered as an explanation regarding an already written text or an object. For example, in computer programming, comments are added to the source code as an explanatory for that code. Comments are commonly used to refer to opinions or statements made regarding a certain subject.

Dictionary.com defines ‘comment’ as:

• A remark, observation, or criticism
• Gossip; talk
• A criticism or interpretation, often by implication or suggestion
• A note in explanation, expansion, or criticism of a passage in a book, article, or the like; annotation.
• Explanatory or critical matter added to a text.

A commentary is usually a detailed explanation or a discussion about a certain event, on a specific topic or a piece of writing. It can be spoken or written. Commentaries have become associated with sports events that have persons that narrate what is happening on the field. It is basically a live account who is doing what on a playing field, when considering it in sports events. A commentary can also be about a specific piece of writing or an event. For example, a person covering an event of the unveiling of a new car will provide the details of the car as well as his/her opinion about it. A person that is commentating on a book, will provide in detail about how they felt when reading and what parts of the book were intriguing, while which parts weren’t and why.

Merriam Webster defines ‘commentary’ as:

• an explanatory treatise —usually used in plural
• a record of events usually written by a participant —usually used in plural
• a systematic series of explanations or interpretations
• something that serves for illustration or explanation
• an expression of opinion

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