I thought "sum" and "total" mean the same thing. Are they used together too?

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

They are used together! But "sum" and "total" are a little different. "Sum" refers to the total of something from an addition. "Total" means the whole amount of something, and so does "sum total." "Sum total" is also usually followed by "of," whereas "sum" and "total" don't require that. Ex: The sum total of car parts we have is 50. Ex: We have 50 car parts in total. Ex: The sum of both batches of cupcakes is 25. = The sum total of both batches of cupcakes is 25.

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