It can be confusing to a lot of people to know the difference between farthest and furthest. These two terms refer to distance, but the term “farthest” is used more to describe the physical distance that has been traveled. Furthest may be used to describe something that is beyond physical.
For example, there is no known truth to how far away some of the galaxies are such a sentence that can be used for this word is “The furthest galaxy may be a million miles away from the earth.” If you would use farthest, you can simply say, “Don traveled the farthest out of the many drivers who tried to drive north.”
The words “farthest” and “furthest” are often misused in written English. This is because of the similarity in spelling. Farthest refers to the greatest degree or extent or to the most distant point in time or space. Farthest is commonly used when you are referring to measurable distance. An example of this: Michael lives farthest from all of us. However, furthest is often used to describe a greater degree or to describe mental distance.
It is the superlative degree of the word “further”. It is used to determine the conceptual extent. When you are referring to nonphysical or abstract distance, the right option to use is furthest. An example of furthest in a sentence: “Our brains travel the furthest in time and space”. Hope you find this helpful.
Farther is normally used when you want to describe the physical distance. You will use further when you want to talk about something that is more metaphorical. There are a lot of people who are confused with how these words can be used because they seem almost similar to each other. Just remember how they should be used and constructing sentences can be easier.
When you say, “She has gone further into her studies.” This means that the woman has already dug deeper and is trying to learn more. When you say, “She has gone farther north.” This means that the woman has left and has gone towards a northern area.
The words farthest and furthest are commonly misused in written sentences as they sound similar to some. To give you an explanation when you need to use these words, here are their differences. Farthest is used when you are physically referring to distance. Sample sentences are: The farthest distance I have run is 20 km. Pluto was once the most distant planet in the solar system. My favorite cousin lives the most distant among my relatives.
Think of when using the word farthest, is the distance can be measured? If yes, then use farthest with an a. furthest, on the other hand, means the highest degree or greatest area. Examples are: The class has their furthest understanding of the lesson when the professor gave them tons of examples. At the furthest, the track can be pushed forward up to 15 km. The word furthest is used in a conceptual manner and extent.