Empathy and sympathy are similar, but not the same. When to use which word depends on the context.
*empathy* means the ability to better understand a person’s or point of view because you yourself have experienced something similar.
*sympathy* means feeling compassion for another’s person’s feelings or point of view although you have probably not been in the same situation or same place.
According to dictionary.com, you feel empathy when you’ve “been there”, and you feel “sympathy” when you haven’t “been there” (literally or figuratively).
If you need help with confusing word pairs, the awesome writers and editors at Writing It Right For You can emphasize! We’ve been there! We can also sympathize and we’re ready to work with you!
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