student asking question

What's the difference between "boundary" and "border"? Are they always interchangeable?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Great question. These two words can be very confusing because they have very similar meanings. The word "border" is most commonly used when talking about the lines that separate two countries. Ex: I crossed the border from Portugal into Italy. The word "boundary" is mostly commonly use to talk about a line that contains something. Often it is a line that should not be crossed. You will often hear this word used when discussing sports. You might also hear people talking about their personal boundaries - things someone doesn't want to do or talk about. Ex: The lines mark the boundary of the football pitch. Ex: Please respect my boundaries, I don't want to talk about it.

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