From time to time I have an error in a computer system.
What is better to say:
- The error happened again yesterday.
- The error occurred again yesterday.
Is there a semantic difference between the two sentences?
Does one of the two carry a kind of surprise? I want to express, it is not surprising, it just happened again.
Best Answer
It's an interesting question. As @Mistu4u mentioned, the formal definitions of both words are similar.
There are some differences, however:
Happen — something random to take place;
Occur — something to become observable; in a certain moment; an event or a process;
The difference is even more evident if you notice that occur is relative to current as they both came from Latin currere "to run".
So, I would use occur in the following contexts:
...and happen in the following contexts:
As usual, you can step off these recommendations if you need to convey your attitude about what you are speaking about.