Some may think that growth and development are exactly the same things but they have some differences that you should know more about. First of all, growth refers to the physical aspect wherein the organism is slowly changing in order to become bigger or to grow older.
This means that there is progressive change with the organism because it is alive. Development refers to the improvement of the organism over a certain period of time. This means that something about the organism has changed but it cannot always be classified as growth.
For example, a plant that is being observed has started to show some purple tips on its leaves. This does not mean that the plant has grown but it means that there is development.