Economic means connected with the economy, trade and a country's money: economic growth, an economic crisis. Economical means saving money, good value: it describes something that uses little money, fuel or time, for example an economical car.
economic or economical — can you pick the right one?
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economic + growth/crisis/policy/situation; economical + car/heating/way to + verb; be economical with + noun
- The government hopes the new factory will bring economic growth to the region.
- A monthly pass is more economical than paying for each journey separately.
- In my essay, I discussed the economic effects of tourism on small islands.
What changed
First versionThe country is going through a serious economical crisis.
RevisionThe country is going through a serious economic crisis.
The two adjectives differ only in their ending, so it is easy to reach for the longer one. But a country's crisis, growth and policy are economic. Economical means “not wasting money”, so economical crisis sounds like a crisis that is careful with money.
The science and the subject you study are called economics: She studies economics at university. And economical appears in the British expression be economical with the truth, meaning not to tell the whole truth: The report was rather economical with the truth.
Your turn
Our new boiler is much more ___: the gas bill has dropped by a third.
Show the answer
economical — The boiler uses less gas and the bill has gone down, so it saves money: economical. Economic would relate to a country's economy, and a home boiler has nothing to do with that.
How do you save money at home or when travelling? Write about one such habit using economical, and give the reason for it using economic, for example the situation in your country.
Because of the economic situation, I've started cooking at home, which is far more economical than eating out.
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