Family vs. Families
Main DifferenceThe English language can be really confusing at times and especially when it comes to similar words. Similar words often have different meanings but due to their structure, spelling, and pronunciation, they seem to be the same. Family and Families are two different words of English language with different meanings and usage, but these both words are often confused even by the native English people as well. The first word Family is a singular word and a collective noun. It is used to depict the members of a single home related to each other like mother, father, brother, sister, wife, children etc. The family is used for the group of people from the same house in precise. Whereas the term Families is a plural word, which means more than one family. Families include various different groups of people from different households.
Difference Between Family and Families
Family vs. Families
A family is a singular word in the English Language.
Family vs. Families
Families is a plural word in the English language.
Family vs. Families
A family is a term used to denote the group of related people from a common household.
Family vs. Families
Families are the term used to denote the various groups of related people from the variety of different households.
Family vs. Families
The term family is a collective noun, whereas the families are the plural of the word family but it includes a variety of groups unlike a single connected group of people under the word family.
Familynoun
(countable) A group of people who are closely related to one another (by blood, marriage or adoption); kin; for example, a set of parents and their children; an immediate family.
Our family lives in town.Familiesnoun
inflection of family||p
Familynoun
(countable) An extended family; a group of people who are related to one another by blood or marriage.
Familynoun
(countable) A (close-knit) group of people related by blood, friendship, marriage, law, or custom, especially if they live or work together.
crime family, Mafia familyThis is my fraternity family at the university.Our company is one big happy family.Familynoun
A rank in the classification of organisms, below order and above genus; a taxon at that rank.
Magnolias belong to the family Magnoliaceae.Familynoun
(countable) Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order.
Doliracetam is a drug from the racetam family.Familynoun
A group of instruments having the same basic method of tone production.
the brass family;the violin familyFamilynoun
A group of languages believed to have descended from the same ancestral language.
the Indo-European language family;the Afro-Asiatic language familyFamilynoun
Used attributively.
The dog was kept as a family pet.For Apocynaceae, this type of flower is a family characteristic.Familyadjective
Suitable for children and adults.
It's not good for a date, it's a family restaurant.Some animated movies are not just for kids, they are family movies.Familyadjective
Conservative, traditional.
The cultural struggle is for the survival of family values against all manner of atheistic amorality.Familyadjective
(slang) Homosexual.
I knew he was family when I first met him.Familynoun
a social unit living together;
he moved his family to VirginiaIt was a good Christian householdI waited until the whole house was asleepthe teacher asked how many people made up his homeFamilynoun
primary social group; parents and children;
he wanted to have a good job before starting a familyFamilynoun
people descended from a common ancestor;
his family has lived in Massachusetts since the MayflowerFamilynoun
a collection of things sharing a common attribute;
there are two classes of detergentsFamilynoun
an association of people who share common beliefs or activities;
the message was addressed not just to employees but to every member of the company familythe church welcomed new members into its fellowshipFamilynoun
(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera;
sharks belong to the fish familyFamilynoun
a person having kinship with another or others;
he's kinhe's familyFamilynoun
a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities
Comparison Chart
| Family | Families |
| A family is an English word used to depict a group of people small and large both having relation and belong to a common household. | Families is an English Word, it is plural of family. It is used to depict a variety of different groups of related people from different households. |
| Language | |
| English (British and American both) | English (British and American both) |
| Type | |
| A family is a singular word and a collective noun. | Families is a plural word with collective nature. |
| Usage | |
| Used for a group of related people in the same house. | Used for a variety of groups of related people from different houses. |
What is Family?
A family is an English word that is often confused with the term families. A family is a singular word and is used as a collective noun. Family denotes the group of people living together in a house or belonging to a particular hierarchy of relations. A common family comprised of a mother, father, son, daughter, wife, children, etc. The grandparents and grandchildren are often also included in a family. Let us take an example here to clarify our concept and the difference of family from families. For example, there is a boy named James. The group of people linked with James via different relations is considered his family. The family of James includes James father, His mother, his sister, his brother, etc. In the nutshell group of people having relationships and belonging from a common household are termed under the word family.
What are Families?
The word families is also an English word that is often confused with the term family. Families is a plural word and is automatically a collective noun in its nature. Families denote the various groups of people living together in different houses or belonging to a variety of hierarchy of relations. A common family comprised of mother, father, son, daughter, wife, children etc. Similarly, multiple families collectively are called as families. As per the above example, if we consider a family of James, another family of a different person named George, so to term these different groups of people we will use the plural word of families. No matter James has more members in his family and George has less, both of these group of people will separately be considered as a family whereas collectively they will be called families.
