English Café: Economic vs. Economical

Advanced Details: Economic vs. Economical

We use economic to mean “related to trade, industry, money, or the economy”

• Thailand’s economic forecast for next year has improved a lot.
• The Thai Prime Minister spoke mostly about economic policy.
• Experts say that there will be an economic crisis at the end of this year.

We use economical to mean “not using a lot of money”: For example, a car that only uses a small amount of petrol is economical.

• Hybrid cars are very economical.
• It is more economical to put a full load of clothes in the washing machine.
• What is the easiest, most economical way to get rid of the standing water?
• A hybrid car is one that uses both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor for propulsion, but the only fuel you’ll put in is gasoline.