Learn English – Speed, rate, pace, tempo: what’s the difference

meaningsynonymsusage

I looked up these three words in Oxford Dictionary and I found that they seem to be interchangeable in some cases.

Here's the question: what's the difference between the three words?

Rate: [countable] a measurement of the speed at which something happens.

Most people walk at an average rate of 5 kilometres an hour. At the rate you work, you'll never finish!

Pace: [singular, uncountable] the speed at which something happens.

It is difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of change. We encourage all students to work at their own pace (= as fast or as slow as they can).

Speed: 1 [countable, uncountable] the rate at which somebody/something moves or travels.

He reduced speed and turned sharp left.

Speed 2 [countable, uncountable] the rate at which something happens or is done.

This course is designed so that students can progress at their own speed.

Speed: 3. [uncountable] the quality of being quick or rapid

The train began to pick up speed (= go faster). Increasing your walking speed will help to exercise your heart.

The accident was due to excessive speed. Speed is his greatest asset as a tennis player.

Tempo: the speed of any movement or activity

the increasing tempo of life in Western society

Don’t let the other team dictate the tempo of the game

Best Answer

Those 4 words above-mentioned are sometimes used interchangeably, but there are some clear distinctions.

Pace originally meant:

late 13c., "a step in walking; rate of motion," from Old French pas "a step, pace, trace," and directly from Latin passus, passum "a step, pace, stride," noun use of past participle of pandere "to stretch (the leg), spread out,"

[Online Etymology Dictionary]

Therefore, you use "pace" in place of speed to describe something slow and steady.

For example, you use a "pace-maker" in stead of "speed-maker" for your heart device or someone who sets the pace in a race such as marathon as it means:

A person or animal who sets the pace at the beginning of a race, sometimes in order to help a runner break a record

A device for stimulating the heart muscle and regulating its contractions.

[Oxford Online Dictionary]

However, if you describe a car or an airplane, you don't use "pace" for its "speed".

Tempo originally meant:

"relative speed of a piece of music," 1724, from Italian tempo, literally "time" (plural tempi), from Latin tempus "time, season, portion of time" (see temporal). Extended (non-musical) senses by 1898.

[Online Etymology Dictionary]

You also use "tempo" in place of speed to describe something slow and steady as it means:

The speed at which a passage of music is or should be played. The rate or speed of motion or activity; pace:

[Oxford Online Dictionary]

Rate originally meant:

"estimated value or worth," early 15c., from Old French rate "price, value" and directly from Medieval Latin rata (pars) "fixed (amount)," from Latin rata "fixed, settled," fem. past participle of reri "to reckon, think" (see reason (n.)). Meaning "degree of speed" (properly ratio between distance and time) is attested from 1650s. Currency exchange sense first recorded 1727. First-rate, second-rate, etc. are 1640s, from British Navy division of ships into six classes based on size and strength. Phrase at any rate originally (1610s) meant "at any cost;" weakened sense of "at least" is attested by 1760.

[Online Etymology Dictionary]

Rate is often used for "frequency" or "quantity".

‘the island has the lowest crime rate in the world’
‘buying up sites at a rate of one a month’

It can also mean:

"The amount of a charge or payment expressed as a percentage of another amount, or as a basis of calculation: ‘you’ll find our current interest rate very competitive’

(rates) (In the UK) a tax on commercial land and buildings paid to a local authority; (in Northern Ireland and formerly in the UK) a tax levied on private property.

[Oxford Online Dictionary]

You use "economic growth rate" not "economic growth speed" when it is expressed in a percentage.

Conclusion: The etymological roots of those four words can shed more light on their different usages.

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