I am aware that when some someone says that there is a possibility of something happening, that means that there is a chance that thing might happen. And when they say that there is a probability of something happening, that means that thing is likely to happen. But it gets complicated for me to feel the difference when the words are collocated with the adjective high. For example:
There is a high possibility that he will get the job.
There is a high probability that he will get the job.
I cannot see the difference. Is there any?
Best Answer
Saying "A high probability" is well understood.
I think most examples I find of "A high possibility" are simply errors. People are using the wrong word. You should not say "A high possibility"; when people do say it, you should understand it to mean the same as "A high probability"
For example:
This clearly means "A high probability", and this is simply a mistake. (I would also say "will not sign", this is a tweet, and not carefully edited.)
There is an expression "A distinct possibility". This means that something is unlikely, but not very unlikely. Its usually used to emphasise that the probability is not zero: