“Kind” vs. “Type” – Difference Explained (With Examples)

As we all know, synonyms can either be a life-saver or a headache. It can either add color to your paper or leave you in conflict with what word is more appropriate to use. You’ve probably felt the same for ‘kind’ and ‘type.’ But, don’t worry, we’re here to help!

What Is The Difference Between ‘Kind’ And ‘Type’?

We use ‘kind’ to determine a group with similar characteristics or show a characteristic common to a group. We use ‘type’ to distinguish the traits of members of a specific group. In a way, ‘type’ differentiates a thing from the rest, while ‘kind’ connects an individual to a similar group.

kind vs type

Let’s try to expound this with some examples.

We use ‘kind’ to determine a group of people or things with similar characteristics. For example, ‘that kind of injustice is something I can’t put up with’ tells that the injustice pertained to belongs to the category or group of injustices the speaker cannot tolerate.

We use ‘type’ to distinguish or differentiate a group from the rest. For example, ‘Anna is the type to laugh easily’ tells that Anna has a specific characteristic of laughing easily.

However, there are cases when we can use ‘kind’ or ‘type’ interchangeably. For these cases, they mean or pertain to a particular characteristic or trait of the subject.

Let’s look at this example.

  1. She is the kind of person to care for you.
  2. She is the type of person to care for you.

As we can see, both sentences show that the girl in the sentence is a very caring person.

What Does ‘Kind’ Mean?

‘Kind’ refers to a group of people or objects having the same characteristics and nature. It also refers to a particular character or trait of a subject in the sentence. As an adjective, ‘kind’ can also mean having polite and good manners.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘kind’ means ‘a group with similar characteristics or a particular type.’ It can also mean ‘generous, helpful, and thinking about other people’s feelings’ if we use it as an adjective.

Let’s check some examples below.

‘Kind’ as a Noun

  1. She likes all kinds of music.
  2. Humankind is the reason for the disasters we face now.
  3. Hannah’s house is the kind of house I want to have.

As we can see, we used ‘kind’ as a classification or group. In number one, ‘all kinds’ show that the classification of music the girl listens to is all or everything. In number two, ‘humankind’ tells us that humans, as a group, are accountable for disasters. In number three, ‘kind of house’ tells us that the house we are talking about belongs to a classification of homes that I want to have.

‘Kind’ as an Adjective

  1. She’s only kind to her teachers during the evaluation period.
  2. It’s important to be kind to others even if they are not kind to us.
  3. I know many kind people who always choose to help others.

As we can see, in these sentences, we used ‘kind’ more as an adjective for someone with good manners.

 What Does ‘Type’ Mean?

‘Type’ refers to a category of people or objects having common characteristics. We use it to distinguish the traits of a group or an individual from the rest. As a verb, it can also refer to the activity or action we do with a keyboard.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘type’ means ‘a particular group of people or things that share similar characteristics and form a smaller division of a larger set’ or ‘the characteristics of a group of people or things that set them apart from other’ if used as a noun. It can also mean ‘to write using a machine, either a computer keyboard or a typewriter.’

Let’s elaborate on this with some examples.

‘Type’ as a Noun

  1. There are different types of flowers.
  2. He’s the type of man who is consistent with his actions.
  3. There are many types of pasta you can choose to cook.

As we can see, in numbers one and three, we used ‘type’ to set that there are different smaller classifications for flowers and pasta. While in number two, we used ‘type’ to distinguish the man by saying a specific characteristic of his.

‘Type’ as a Verb

  1. I need to type faster to meet the deadline.
  2. She types by using only two fingers.
  3. Don’t type and text while driving.

Here, we can see that we used ‘type’ as a verb and as the action you do with your keyboard.

Can ‘Kind’ And ‘Type’ Be Used Interchangeably?

We can use ‘kind’ and ‘type’ interchangeably. We use these words interchangeably to pertain to a particular characteristic or trait of a subject in the sentence. We also use them to refer to a group with similar characteristics. However, there are also restrictions where we cannot interchange them.

For example, ‘rose is my favorite kind of flower’ and ‘rose is my favorite kind of flower’ are correct and have the same meaning. This case is acceptable because we used ‘kind’ and ‘type’ in the sentence to refer to a specific group, which is flowers.

However, there is a restriction in something like this. ‘Ella is not my type’ and ‘Ella is not my kind’ have different meanings. Here, ‘type’ is used to pertain to the characteristics of Ella being not the persona’s type, while we used ‘kind’ to express that Ella isn’t of the same kind of group as the speaker (meaning Ella isn’t part of humankind). And so, using the two words in a sentence like this produces two different meanings.

Is ‘Kind’ Or ‘Type’ Used The Most?

According to the Google Ngram Viewer, ‘kind’ is currently used more than ‘type.’ Though I believe, it’s important to note that there was a period when people used ‘type’ more than ‘kind.’ Saying this, I think the usage of ‘kind’ and ‘type’ mostly depends on the trends of topics in current times.

kind vs type historical development

Does ‘Sort’ Mean The Same As ‘Kind’ And ‘Type’?

‘Sort’ can mean the same as ‘kind’ and ‘type.’ We can interchange it with ‘kind’ and ‘type’ if referring to a group with similar characteristics. However, there are also limitations in interchanging these three terms. For example, adding the preposition ‘of’ after ‘sort’ can change its meaning.

We can interchange ‘sort’ with other words like this. ‘I like all sorts of music,’ ‘I like all types of music,’ and ‘I like all kinds of music’ all mean the same thing. Here, we used ‘sort’ to refer to the category of music one likes, which is all.

However, you can’t interchange ‘sort’ with ‘kind’ or ‘type’ if you use it this way. ‘I’m sort of tired’ means entirely different from ‘I’m the type of tired’ because the preposition changes the meaning of the word ‘sort.’

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