Learn English – Walk / talk somebody through something

phrasal-verbsword-difference

Walk somebody through something: to slowly and carefully explain something to someone or show someone how to do something

Talk somebody through something: to explain an idea, a plan, etc. to someone so that they understand it

The definitions look very similar so I wonder if there's any subtle difference between them.

Best Answer

They are very close in meaning and in many situations would mean the same thing. If I had to describe them differently though, I would say that "walk through" could imply a "hands on" approach, or that they want you to show them something, rather than just talk about it.

An example to show the possible difference:

Could you talk me through how to get a job?

and

Could you walk me through how to get a job?

Both mean the same thing more or less. However, the second example might be a request for someone to actually show them how to do it, rather than just explain it. Maybe it means that they want someone to sit down with them at a computer, show them some websites, etc, in addition to talking about it.

It's pretty ambiguous, and in most cases they can be used interchangeably