Plain vs. Plane: What's the Difference?
Edited by Sumera Saeed || By Sawaira Riaz || Published on November 13, 2023
"Plain" refers to a simple or clear matter or a flat land area, while "Plane" denotes an aircraft or a flat surface.
Key Differences
Plain and Plane are two distinct words in the English language that, despite their phonetic similarity, convey different meanings. Plain often describes something straightforward, unembellished, or clear. Plane, on the other hand, can mean an aircraft that flies or a flat, level surface.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
Considering the landscape, a Plain denotes a large, flat expanse of land, typically lacking significant hills or valleys. In geometry, however, Plane refers to a two-dimensional flat surface that extends infinitely in every direction.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
In fashion or design, when something is described as Plain, it suggests that it's without intricate designs or decorations. Conversely, in woodworking, a Plane is a tool utilized to shave off thin layers from wood, ensuring the wood's surface is flat.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
Plain can also imply clarity or being evident, as in "plain to see". Meanwhile, Plane might denote a level of existence or thought in philosophical discussions, such as "astral plane."
Aimie Carlson
Nov 13, 2023
Thus, while Plain usually emphasizes simplicity, straightforwardness, or vast flatlands, Plane leans toward definitions tied to flatness, aircraft, or specific realms of existence.
Janet White
Nov 13, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
Simple, clear, or a flat land area.
An aircraft or flat surface.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
Grammatical Use
Adjective (e.g., plain shirt) or Noun (e.g., Great Plains)
Noun (e.g., airplane) or Adjective (e.g., plane surface)
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
Origin
Old French "plein", meaning flat or even surface.
Latin "planus", meaning level or flat.
Aimie Carlson
Nov 13, 2023
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Plain and Plane Definitions
Plain
Not mixed with anything else; pure.
He expressed his plain dislike for the policy.
Janet White
Oct 20, 2023
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Plane
(Mathematics) A surface containing all the straight lines that connect any two points on it.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A level of development, existence, or achievement
Scholarship on a high plane.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A carpenter's tool with an adjustable blade for smoothing and leveling wood.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A trowel-shaped tool for smoothing the surface of clay, sand, or plaster in a mold.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished.
He was dressed simply in plain black clothes.
A plain tune
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
(geometry) A flat surface extending infinitely in all directions (e.g. horizontal or vertical plane). Category:en:Surfaces
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary.
They're just plain people like you or me.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
(of food) Having only few ingredients, or no additional ingredients or seasonings; not elaborate, without toppings or extras.
Would you like a poppy bagel or a plain bagel?
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A roughly flat, thin, often moveable structure used to create lateral force by the flow of air or water over its surface, found on aircraft, submarines, etc. (Compare airfoil, hydrofoil.)}}
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
(computing) Containing no extended or nonprinting characters (especially in plain text).
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
Any of 17 designated ranges of 216 (65,536) sequential code points each.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Downright; total, unmistakable (as intensifier).
His answer was just plain nonsense.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
(entomology) Any of various nymphalid butterflies, of various genera, having a slow gliding flight.
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Oct 13, 2023
Plane
(entomology) The butterfly Bindahara phocides, family Lycaenidae, of Asia and Australasia.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Honest and without deception; candid, open; blunt.
Let me be plain with you: I don't like her.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Not unusually beautiful; unattractive.
Throughout high school she worried that she had a rather plain face.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A surface, real or imaginary, in which, if any two points are taken, the straight line which joins them lies wholly in that surface; or a surface, any section of which by a like surface is a straight line; a surface without curvature.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
An ideal surface, conceived as coinciding with, or containing, some designated astronomical line, circle, or other curve; as, the plane of an orbit; the plane of the ecliptic, or of the equator.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
An expanse of land with relatively low relief, usually exclusive of forests, deserts, and wastelands.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A block or plate having a perfectly flat surface, used as a standard of flatness; a surface plate.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A tool for smoothing boards or other surfaces of wood, for forming moldings, etc. It consists of a smooth-soled stock, usually of wood, from the under side or face of which projects slightly the steel cutting edge of a chisel, called the iron, which inclines backward, with an apperture in front for the escape of shavings; as, the jack plane; the smoothing plane; the molding plane, etc.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
Without elevations or depressions; even; level; flat; lying in, or constituting, a plane; as, a plane surface.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
To make smooth; to level; to pare off the inequalities of the surface of, as of a board or other piece of wood, by the use of a plane; as, to plane a plank.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
To efface or remove.
He planed away the names . . . written on his tables.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
Figuratively, to make plain or smooth.
What student came but that you planed her path.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
Of a boat, to lift more or less out of the water while in motion, after the manner of a hydroplane; to hydroplane.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
To lament; to bewail; to complain.
We with piteous heart unto you pleyne.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
An aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets;
The flight was delayed due to trouble with the airplane
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
(mathematics) an unbounded two-dimensional shape;
We will refer to the plane of the graph as the X-Y plane
Any line joining two points on a plane lies wholly on that plane
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
To plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface.
We would rake Europe rather, plain the East.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
To make plain or manifest; to explain.
What's dumb in show, I'll plain in speech.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Without elevations or depressions; flat; level; smooth; even. See Plane.
The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A carpenter's hand tool with an adjustable blade for smoothing or shaping wood;
The cabinetmaker used a plane for the finish work
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Open; clear; unencumbered; equal; fair.
Our troops beat an army in plain fight.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
Cut or remove with or as if with a plane;
The machine shaved off fine layers from the piece of wood
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Not intricate or difficult; evident; manifest; obvious; clear; unmistakable.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
Make even or smooth, with or as with a carpenter's plane;
Plane the top of the door
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
Having a horizontal surface in which no part is higher or lower than another;
A flat desk
Acres of level farmland
A plane surface
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Level land; usually, an open field or a broad stretch of land with an even surface, or a surface little varied by inequalities; as, the plain of Jordan; the American plains, or prairies.
Descending fro the mountain into playn.
Him the AmmoniteWorshiped in Rabba and her watery plain.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A flat surface on which a straight line joining any two points would wholly lie.
The wall forms a plane for the mural.
Janet White
Oct 20, 2023
Plane
A tool for shaving off thin layers from wood.
He used a plane to smooth the table.
Janet White
Oct 20, 2023
Plain
Extensive tract of level open land;
They emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain
He longed for the fields of his youth
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plane
A level of existence, consciousness, or development.
The concept exists on a different plane of reality.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 20, 2023
Plain
Express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness;
My mother complains all day
She has a lot to kick about
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Clearly apparent or obvious to the mind or senses;
The effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields
Evident hostility
Manifest disapproval
Patent advantages
Made his meaning plain
It is plain that he is no reactionary
In plain view
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Not elaborate or elaborated; simple;
Plain food
Stuck to the plain facts
A plain blue suit
A plain rectangular brick building
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Not mixed with extraneous elements;
Plain water
Sheer wine
Not an unmixed blessing
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Free from any effort to soften to disguise;
The plain and unvarnished truth
The unvarnished candor of old people and children
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Lacking embellishment or ornamentation;
A plain hair style
Unembellished white walls
Functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Lacking stylistic embellishment;
A literal description
Wrote good but plain prose
A plain unadorned account of the coronation
A forthright unembellished style
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Comprehensible to the general public;
Written for the popular press in plain nontechnical language
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Lacking in physical beauty or proportion;
A homely child
Several of the buildings were downright homely
A plain girl with a freckled face
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
Unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly');
The answer is obviously wrong
She was in bed and evidently in great pain
He was manifestly too important to leave off the guest list
It is all patently nonsense
She has apparently been living here for some time
I thought he owned the property, but apparently not
You are plainly wrong
He is plain stubborn
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 13, 2023
Plain
A large area of flat land with few trees.
The plain stretched out for miles.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 20, 2023
Plain
Average or ordinary in appearance.
He has a plain face but a brilliant mind.
Janet White
Oct 20, 2023
FAQs
Is "Plane" always related to an aircraft?
No, it can also refer to a flat surface or a level of existence.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
Can "Plain" describe the appearance of something?
Yes, if something is "plain", it is simple and unadorned.
Janet White
Nov 13, 2023
Do "Plain" and "Plane" sound the same?
Yes, they're homophones, but their meanings differ.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
Can "Plain" refer to a type of landform?
Yes, a "plain" can mean a large area of flat land with few trees.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
What does it mean to "plane" wood?
It means to shave or smooth wood using a tool called a "plane."
Harlon Moss
Nov 13, 2023
Is a "paper plane" an actual aircraft?
No, a "paper plane" is a toy aircraft made from folded paper.
Aimie Carlson
Nov 13, 2023
Does "Plain" have a French origin?
Yes, it's derived from Old French "plein", meaning flat or even surface.
Aimie Carlson
Nov 13, 2023
Is "plain-speaking" about geography?
No, "plain-speaking" refers to speaking in a straightforward manner.
Janet White
Nov 13, 2023
Can "Plain" imply something is clear or evident?
Yes, if something is "plain to see", it's clearly evident.
Sara Rehman
Nov 13, 2023
Is "aeroplane" the same as "plane"?
Yes, "aeroplane" is a full term, often shortened to "plane," referring to a powered flying vehicle.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
Is "plainclothes" about simple clothing?
Not exactly. "Plainclothes" refers to a police officer dressed in civilian clothes instead of a uniform.
Janet White
Nov 13, 2023
What's a "seaplane"?
A "seaplane" is a plane designed to take off from and land on water.
Aimie Carlson
Nov 13, 2023
What is the "astral plane"?
The "astral plane" refers to a non-physical realm of existence in some philosophical or spiritual beliefs.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 13, 2023
Can "Plane" refer to a mathematical concept?
Yes, in geometry, a "plane" is a flat, two-dimensional surface that extends infinitely.
Sara Rehman
Nov 13, 2023
Is "planar" related to "Plane"?
Yes, "planar" means relating to or in the form of a plane.
Janet White
Nov 13, 2023
Can both "Plain" and "Plane" be used as adjectives?
Yes, "plain" can describe simplicity, and "plane" can denote flatness, like a "plane surface".
Aimie Carlson
Nov 13, 2023
Can "Plain" also mean ordinary?
Yes, "plain" can refer to something average or unremarkable in appearance.
Aimie Carlson
Nov 13, 2023
What does "plainly" mean?
"Plainly" is an adverb meaning "in a clear and unambiguous manner."
Harlon Moss
Nov 13, 2023
Can "Plain" refer to purity?
Yes, "plain" can indicate something not mixed with anything else, like "plain water".
Sara Rehman
Nov 13, 2023
What does "biplane" mean?
A "biplane" is a plane with two main wings stacked one above the other.
Harlon Moss
Nov 13, 2023
About Author
Written by
Sawaira RiazSawaira is a dedicated content editor at difference.wiki, where she meticulously refines articles to ensure clarity and accuracy. With a keen eye for detail, she upholds the site's commitment to delivering insightful and precise content.
Edited by
Sumera SaeedSumera is an experienced content writer and editor with a niche in comparative analysis. At Diffeence Wiki, she crafts clear and unbiased comparisons to guide readers in making informed decisions. With a dedication to thorough research and quality, Sumera's work stands out in the digital realm. Off the clock, she enjoys reading and exploring diverse cultures.
