Ask Difference

Booked vs. Book — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 22, 2024
"Booked" is the past tense of the verb "book," meaning to reserve, schedule, or make an arrangement, while "book" can be a noun referring to a set of written or printed pages, or a verb meaning to arrange or reserve something.
Booked vs. Book — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Booked and Book

ADVERTISEMENT

Key Differences

As a verb, "book" means to arrange for or reserve services, such as a flight, a hotel room, or a restaurant table. In contrast, "booked" is the past tense form, indicating that the action of booking has already been completed. For instance, when you say you have booked a flight, it means the reservation is made and confirmed.
When used as a noun, "book" refers to a written or printed work consisting of pages bound together, typically conveying stories, information, or other content. This differs from "booked," which does not function as a noun and solely relates to the action of reserving.
In the verb form, to "book" can also imply recording information, such as in police terminology where someone might be "booked" for an offense, meaning their details are officially recorded. This usage extends the verb "to book" beyond mere reservations into areas of legal and formal record-keeping.
"Booked" in colloquial use can sometimes express a state of being fully scheduled or having no available free time, highlighting its flexibility in everyday language. In contrast, "book" in the noun form might evolve into discussions about literature, learning, and entertainment, underscoring the cultural importance of books as objects.
Choosing between "book" and "booked" clearly depends on the action's timing or the object of discussion whether it is about making a reservation or referring to a physical or digital volume of written content.
ADVERTISEMENT

Comparison Chart

Part of Speech

Noun/Verb
Verb (past tense)

Definition

A set of printed or written pages; or to reserve something
Past tense of "book," indicating a completed reservation

Usage

Reading, learning, or making a reservation
Indicating a completed action of reservation

Context Example

Reading a book on history; booking a flight
Having booked a hotel for the vacation

Common Phrases

"Open book," "book a ticket"
"Fully booked," "booked solid"

Compare with Definitions

Booked

Recorded officially, as in police terms.
He was booked for speeding last night.

Book

A written or printed work.
She loves reading books on psychology.

Booked

Reserved or arranged in advance.
The flight was fully booked by the time I tried to get tickets.

Book

A unit of literary work.
The book won several awards for its narrative.

Booked

Used to express a busy schedule.
I'm booked all day with meetings.

Book

Bound pages containing text or illustrations.
He gifted me a book of ancient maps.

Booked

Simple past tense and past participle of book

Book

A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arrangement is codex (plural, codices).

Booked

Registered.

Book

A written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers
A book of selected poems

Booked

On the way; destined.

Book

A bound set of blank sheets for writing in
An accounts book

Booked

Reserved in advance; held for future use. See reserve{2}.

Book

A set of tickets, stamps, matches, samples of cloth, etc., bound together
A pattern book

Booked

Reserved in advance

Book

Reserve (accommodation, a place, etc.); buy (a ticket) in advance
Book early to avoid disappointment
I have booked a table at the Swan

Book

Make an official note of the personal details of (a person who has broken a law or rule)
The cop booked me and took me down to the station

Book

Leave suddenly
They just ate your pizza and drank your soda and booked

Book

A set of written, printed, or blank pages fastened along one side and encased between protective covers.

Book

An e-book or other electronic resource structured like a book.

Book

A printed or written literary work
Did you ever finish writing that book?.

Book

A main division of a larger printed or written work
A book of the Old Testament.

Book

A volume in which financial or business transactions are recorded.

Book

Books Financial or business records considered as a group
Checked the expenditures on the books.

Book

A libretto.

Book

The script of a play.

Book

The Bible.

Book

The Koran.

Book

A set of prescribed standards or rules on which decisions are based
Runs the company by the book.

Book

Something regarded as a source of knowledge or understanding.

Book

The total amount of experience, knowledge, understanding, and skill that can be used in solving a problem or performing a task
We used every trick in the book to finish the project on schedule.

Book

(Informal) Factual information, especially of a private nature
What's the book on him?.

Book

A pack of like or similar items bound together
A book of matches.

Book

A record of bets placed on a race.

Book

(Games) The number of card tricks needed before any tricks can have scoring value, as the first six tricks taken by the declaring side in bridge.

Book

To arrange for or purchase (tickets or lodgings, for example) in advance; reserve.

Book

To arrange a reservation, as for a hotel room, for (someone)
Book me into the best hotel in town.

Book

To hire or engage
Booked a band for Saturday night.

Book

To list or register in a book
Booked the revenue from last month's sales.

Book

To list or record appointments or engagements in
A calendar that was booked solid on Tuesday.

Book

To record information about (a suspected offender) after arrest in preparation for arraignment, usually including a criminal history search, fingerprinting, and photographing.

Book

(Sports) To record the flagrant fouls of (a player) for possible disciplinary action, as in soccer.

Book

To designate a time for; schedule
Let's book a meeting for next month.

Book

To be hired for or engaged in
The actor has booked his next movie with that director.

Book

To make a reservation
Book early if you want good seats.

Book

(Informal) To move or travel rapidly
We booked along at a nice clip.

Book

Of or relating to knowledge learned from books rather than actual experience
Has book smarts but not street smarts.

Book

Appearing in a company's financial records
Book profits.

Book

A collection of sheets of paper bound together to hinge at one edge, containing printed or written material, pictures, etc.
She opened the book to page 37 and began to read aloud.
He was frustrated because he couldn't find anything about dinosaurs in the book.

Book

A long work fit for publication, typically prose, such as a novel or textbook, and typically published as such a bound collection of sheets, but now sometimes electronically as an e-book.
I have three copies of his first book.

Book

A major division of a long work.
Genesis is the first book of the Bible.
Many readers find the first book of A Tale of Two Cities to be confusing.

Book

(gambling) A record of betting (from the use of a notebook to record what each person has bet).
I'm running a book on who is going to win the race.

Book

(informal) A bookmaker (a person who takes bets on sporting events and similar); bookie; turf accountant.

Book

A convenient collection, in a form resembling a book, of small paper items for individual use.
A book of stamps
A book of raffle tickets

Book

(theatre) The script of a musical or opera.

Book

Records of the accounts of a business.

Book

A book award, a recognition for receiving the highest grade in a class (traditionally an actual book, but recently more likely a letter or certificate acknowledging the achievement).

Book

(whist) Six tricks taken by one side.

Book

(poker slang) Four of a kind.

Book

(sports) A document, held by the referee, of the incidents happened in the game.

Book

A list of all players who have been booked (received a warning) in a game.

Book

(cartomancy) The twenty-sixth Lenormand card.

Book

(figurative) Any source of instruction.

Book

(with "the") The accumulated body of knowledge passed down among black pimps.

Book

A portfolio of one's previous work in the industry.

Book

(transitive) To reserve (something) for future use.
I want to book a hotel room for tomorrow night.
I can book tickets for the concert next week.

Book

(transitive) To write down, to register or record in a book or as in a book.
They booked that message from the hill

Book

(transitive) To add a name to the list of people who are participating in something.
I booked a flight to New York.

Book

To record the name and other details of a suspected offender and the offence for later judicial action.
The police booked him for driving too fast.

Book

(sports) To issue a caution to, usually a yellow card, or a red card if a yellow card has already been issued.

Book

To travel very fast.
He was really booking, until he passed the speed trap.

Book

To record bets as bookmaker.

Book

To receive the highest grade in a class.
The top three students had a bet on which one was going to book their intellectual property class.

Book

To leave.
He was here earlier, but he booked.

Book

A collection of sheets of paper, or similar material, blank, written, or printed, bound together; commonly, many folded and bound sheets containing continuous printing or writing.

Book

A part or subdivision of a treatise or literary work; as, the tenth book of "Paradise Lost."

Book

A volume or collection of sheets in which accounts are kept; a register of debts and credits, receipts and expenditures, etc.; - often used in the plural; as, they got a subpoena to examine our books.

Book

Six tricks taken by one side, in the game of bridge or whist, being the minimum number of tricks that must be taken before any additional tricks are counted as part of the score for that hand; in certain other games, two or more corresponding cards, forming a set.

Book

A written version of a play or other dramatic composition; - used in preparing for a performance.

Book

A set of paper objects (tickets, stamps, matches, checks etc.) bound together by one edge, like a book; as, he bought a book of stamps.

Book

A book or list, actual or hypothetical, containing records of the best performances in some endeavor; a recordbook; - used in the phrase one for the book or one for the books.

Book

The set of facts about an athlete's performance, such as typical performance or playing habits or methods, that are accumulated by potential opponents as an aid in deciding how best to compete against that athlete; as, the book on Ted Williams suggests pitching to him low and outside.

Book

Same as book value.

Book

The list of current buy and sell orders maintained by a stock market specialist.

Book

The purchase orders still outstanding and unfilled on a company's ledger; as, book to bill ratio.

Book

To enter, write, or register in a book or list.
Let it be booked with the rest of this day's deeds.

Book

To enter the name of (any one) in a book for the purpose of securing a passage, conveyance, or seat; to reserve{2}; also, to make an arrangement for a reservation; as, to be booked for Southampton; to book a seat in a theater; to book a reservation at a restaurant.

Book

To mark out for; to destine or assign for; as, he is booked for the valedictory.
Here I am booked for three days more in Paris.

Book

To make an official record of a charge against (a suspect in a crime); - performed by police.

Book

A written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together);
I am reading a good book on economics

Book

Physical objects consisting of a number of pages bound together;
He used a large book as a doorstop

Book

A record in which commercial accounts are recorded;
They got a subpoena to examine our books

Book

A number of sheets (ticket or stamps etc.) bound together on one edge;
He bought a book of stamps

Book

A compilation of the known facts regarding something or someone;
Al Smith used to say, `Let's look at the record'
His name is in all the recordbooks

Book

A major division of a long written composition;
The book of Isaiah

Book

A written version of a play or other dramatic composition; used in preparing for a performance

Book

A collection of rules or prescribed standards on the basis of which decisions are made;
They run things by the book around here

Book

The sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina

Book

The sacred writings of the Christian religions;
He went to carry the Word to the heathen

Book

Record a charge in a police register;
The policeman booked her when she tried to solicit a man

Book

Arrange for and reserve (something for someone else) in advance;
Reserve me a seat on a flight
The agent booked tickets to the show for the whole family
Please hold a table at Maxim's

Book

Engage for a performance;
Her agent had booked her for several concerts in Tokyo

Book

Register in a hotel booker

Common Curiosities

What's the difference between booking a ticket and buying a ticket?

Booking a ticket refers to reserving it, while buying a ticket involves completing the purchase and securing ownership.

What does it mean to be booked for an offense?

It refers to the formal process of recording someone's details in the police system due to a legal infraction.

How can 'booked' imply a busy schedule?

Saying "I'm booked" typically means the person's schedule is full and they have no available time.

Is there a digital version of a book?

Yes, digital books or ebooks are electronic versions that can be read on digital devices.

What does it mean when a hotel is fully booked?

It means there are no rooms available as all have been reserved.

What are some synonyms for 'book' as a noun?

Volume, tome, and title are all synonyms for "book."

Can 'book' be used in informal contexts?

Yes, "book" can informally mean to leave quickly, as in "Let's book out of here."

What happens if you need to change something you've booked?

Typically, you would contact the service provider to alter the reservation details.

How do you use 'book' in a sentence regarding planning?

"I need to book our flights for the summer vacation."

What is the process called when a library lets you borrow a book?

This is known as checking out a book.

Can 'book' be used as a metaphor?

Yes, phrases like "life is an open book" use the term metaphorically.

How do you describe someone who likes to read a lot of books?

They are often referred to as a bibliophile or bookworm.

What are some challenges in the publishing industry regarding books?

Challenges include adapting to digital trends, copyright issues, and maintaining sales in a competitive market.

What's an example of a book impacting society?

"1984" by George Orwell has had a profound impact on discussions about surveillance and personal freedom.

How is 'book' used in technology terms?

"Book" can refer to an electronic manual or guide, such as an online instruction book.

Share Your Discovery

Share via Social Media
Embed This Content
Embed Code
Share Directly via Messenger
Link
Previous Comparison
Title vs. Heading
Next Comparison
Solution vs. Remedy

Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat

Popular Comparisons

Trending Comparisons

New Comparisons

Trending Terms