Electric describes a particular thing that works by electricity or produces it, while electrical is about electricity in general: a profession, wiring, a fault or equipment as a whole. So people say an electric car, an electric kettle, an electric guitar, but electrical engineering, an electrical fault, electrical equipment.
electric or electrical — can you pick the right one?
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electric + car/bike/kettle/guitar/heater/shock; electrical + engineer/engineering/fault/problem/equipment; the atmosphere was electric
- We rented electric bikes to get around the island.
- The flight was delayed because of an electrical problem with the plane.
- My brother studied electrical engineering and now designs lighting for new buildings.
What changed
First versionMy cousin works as an electric engineer at a power station.
RevisionMy cousin works as an electrical engineer at a power station.
An engineer works with electricity as a field of knowledge, so the job is electrical engineer. Both adjectives are often translated the same way, so translation won't help you choose: ask yourself whether you mean a particular device or electricity as a field.
Electric also has a figurative meaning, “full of excitement”: The atmosphere in the stadium was electric. Electrical isn't used in this sense.
Your turn
My son practises the ___ guitar every evening, so we bought him good headphones.
Show the answer
electric — A guitar that you plug in and listen to through headphones runs on electricity, so it's an electric guitar. Native speakers don't say electrical guitar: electrical describes a field or systems, not a particular instrument.
Describe the appliances you have at home or at work. Name one device with the word electric and one fault or job with the word electrical.
Our electric heater stopped working last winter, so we called an electrician to check for an electrical fault.
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