What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
mouldy
Example
I had to throw away the bread because it was mouldy. [mouldy: adjective]
Example
The basement had a mouldy smell after the flood. [mouldy: adjective]
Example
His ideas are mouldy and outdated. [mouldy: adjective]
stale
Example
The chips tasted stale because they were left open for too long. [stale: adjective]
Example
The air in the room felt stale and suffocating. [stale: adjective]
Example
His jokes are getting stale, he needs some new material. [stale: adjective]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Stale is more commonly used than mouldy in everyday language. Stale is versatile and covers a wide range of contexts, while mouldy is less common and mainly used to describe food that has been contaminated with mould.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between mouldy and stale?
Both mouldy and stale are informal words and are not typically used in formal contexts.
