Learn English – What’s the difference between “recall” and “remember”

appropriatedifferences

As an example, in a legal setting:

Do you recall what color the car was?
Do you remember what color the car was?

Which would be more appropriate?

Best Answer

Semantically, they are equivalent in the example you've given.

Either is appropriate. But, for whatever reason, recall seems to be preferred by the legal set.

The difference in the actual meanings of the words: Recall means to call back into one's consciousness. I don't recall the actual date of our conversation.

Remember means to retain in memory. It usually implies a personal experience with the subject matter. Did you remember to lock the door?. Source

This example is actually where the two differ. Recall cannot be used in the sense of not forget to do. Source

Related Topic