Vocabulary Showcase: Pub or Bar? What’s the Difference?

The pubs (short for public houses) are opening again in England today. Have you ever wondered what the difference between a pub and a bar is?

The Difference Between a ‘Pub’ and a ‘Bar’ in the UK

• A pub is a building that was designed to sell alcohol.

• A bar is a long, usually wooden, counter customers stand in front of to order drinks.

• A pub often has more than one bar inside.

• In everyday use, people often say pub or bar to mean a public house.

Summing Up

So, in summary, most of the time you can say pub or bar in the UK and it will mean a place that sells alcohol, but in times when you need to speak about specific parts of the building you should use bar to mean the serving area with a counter.