Difference Between Versus and Verses

Versus vs Verses

Versus ( Vs.) and Verses are two words used in English that are unnecessarily confused. In fact, they are two different words that have different connotations altogether. They are not to be looked upon as words denoting the same meaning.

The word ‘versus’ is often used in the sense of ‘opposed to’ or ‘against’. On the other hand, verses is used as the plural form of the word ‘verse’ meaning ‘a poem’. This is the main difference between the two words. It is interesting to note that the word ‘versus’ is abbreviated often as ‘Vs’.

Observe the two sentences,

1. Australia Vs England test matches are called ashes.

2. Look Vs See means difference between look and see.

In both the sentences, you can see that the word ‘versus’ is used in the sense of ‘opposed to’ or ‘against’. Thus, the first sentence can mean as ‘The test matches played by Australia against England are called ashes’. In the second sentence, the abbreviation ‘Vs’ or the shortened form of the ‘versus’ gives the special meaning of ‘between’ and hence the expression Look Vs See means the difference between look and see.

It is important to know that the word ‘verses’ is primarily used in literature as in the sentences,

1. The poet composed a few verses in praise of the Lord.

2. The verses read by the poet drew appreciation from the crowd.

In both the sentences, the word ‘verses’ is used in the sense of ‘poems’. A person who composes verses is called a versifier or a poet. A poet normally composes lot of poems in his life. On the other hand, a versifier composes only a few poems. He is not a professional poet. These are the differences between two words in English language, namely, versus and verses.