English
What is the difference between fact and opinion?
Quick answer
A fact is something that can be checked and proved true or false. An opinion is what someone thinks or feels, and other people may disagree.
In one sentence
A fact can be checked and proved; an opinion is a personal view that people can reasonably disagree with.
Explained
Mount Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania is a fact. You can look it up on a map or in a reliable reference book. Mount Kilimanjaro is the most beautiful mountain in the world is an opinion. You might agree, but someone else could prefer another mountain, and neither of you can prove it.
Ask yourself: Could I check this? If the answer is yes, using measurements, records, reference books or observations, it is a factual statement. If it depends on someone's taste, feelings or beliefs, it is an opinion.
Opinions often contain clue words:
- thinking words: I think, I believe, I feel, in my view
- judging words: best, worst, amazing, boring, delicious, beautiful
- should words: should, ought to, must (when giving advice or demands)
Facts often contain dates, numbers, names, places and measurable details: The race is 5 kilometres long.
Two trickier points for older readers. First, a statement can be factual but false: The Sun goes round the Earth can be checked, and it is wrong. That makes it an incorrect claim, not an opinion. Second, many sentences mix fact and opinion: The new park, which opened in May, is wonderful. The opening date is a fact; wonderful is an opinion.
Spotting the difference matters in adverts, reviews, news and persuasive writing, which often present opinions as if they were facts. When you are unsure, check with a trusted adult, a library book or a reliable source together.
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Examples
| Statement | Fact or opinion? |
|---|---|
| Water freezes at 0 °C. | fact |
| Winter is the best season. | opinion |
| Our school has 300 pupils. | fact (it can be counted) |
| Homework should be banned. | opinion |
| Spiders have eight legs. | fact |
| Spiders are scary. | opinion |
Common mistakes
- Believing something is a fact because lots of people say it. Popularity is not proof.
- Thinking a strong-sounding opinion is a fact. Everyone knows this is the best phone is still an opinion.
- Calling every false statement an opinion. False claims can be checked; they are just wrong.
Quick quiz
Fact and opinion
Check what you know with 4 quick questions.
Question 1 of 4
Which is a fact?
Practise it
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Reading comprehension practice
For grown-ups
Related topics
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Inference
Inference means working out something the writer has not said directly, using clues in the text plus what you already know. It is often called reading between the lines.
Summarising
Summarising means retelling the most important ideas of a text briefly, in your own words, leaving out small details and examples.
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Staying safe online means keeping personal details private, using privacy settings and strong passwords, being kind, and telling a trusted adult if anything worries you.
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An adjective is a word that describes a noun, telling you what kind, which one or how many, like a huge elephant, a sour lemon or three red balloons.
Adverbs
An adverb gives more information about a verb, adjective or another adverb, telling how, when, where or how often, like slowly, tomorrow, outside or always.