What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
smoke
Example
The room was filled with smoke from the campfire. [smoke: noun]
Example
He smoked a cigarette while waiting for his friend. [smoked: past tense verb]
vapor
Example
The hot shower produced a lot of steam and vapor. [vapor: noun]
Example
She likes to vape different flavors of e-liquid. [vape: verb]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Smoke is more commonly used than vapor in everyday language, especially when referring to smoking tobacco products. Vapor is a more technical term and is often used in scientific or technological contexts.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between smoke and vapor?
Vapor is generally considered a more formal term than smoke, which is more casual and colloquial. However, both words can be used in various formality levels depending on the context.
