What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
matted
Example
The dog's fur was so matted that it had to be shaved off. [matted: adjective]
Example
The carpet was matted down from years of foot traffic. [matted: past participle]
tangled
Example
The fisherman's line became tangled in the seaweed. [tangled: past participle]
Example
I tried to comb out the knots in my daughter's tangled hair. [tangled: adjective]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Tangled is more commonly used than matted in everyday language, due to its versatility and wider range of contexts.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between matted and tangled?
Both matted and tangled are relatively informal words, but matted may be slightly more associated with casual or colloquial language, while tangled can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
