historic and historical

Historic means having importance in history.
Historical means from the past or relating to history.
The words historic and historical are close in meaning, but their uses are quite different.

Historic

The adjective historic means having importance in history or having influence on history.

Historical

The adjective historical means having taken place in history, from the past or pertaining to history.

Side-by-side examples:

A Quick Test

AN HISTORICAL OR A HISTORICAL?

Letters and sounds do not always correlate in English.

When pronouncing the words historic and historical, the accent falls on the second syllable, and many pronounce them as starting with a vowel.  For those people, it is appropriate to use an before historic and historical.  Therefore, you have a choice depending on what sounds best for you.  There is a lot of leniency on this issue.  If you're still unsure, opt for a historical and 'a historic' as these remain preferable - especially in formal writing.


Help Us To Improve English Grammar Lessons
Please tell us using this form.

See Also

What are adjectives? List of easily confused words