Candy vs. Confection — What's the Difference?

A sweet treat that is typically made by dissolving sugar in water or milk to form syrup.

Delicately constructed sweet foods often involving multiple ingredients.

Any of a variety of confections made with sugar syrup.

Any dish or item made by combining various sweet ingredients.

Edible sugary substances that are used to indulge or treat oneself.

Sweets prepared for special occasions or gourmet treats.

Small sweet items purchased in bulk or packaged individually.

Sweet foods used as desserts or treats, often elaborate.

Confections made primarily from sugar with additions like nuts, chocolate, or fruit.

A general term for any kind of sweet baking or candy making.

Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English, New Zealand English), is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called sugar confectionery, encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum, and sugar candy.

The act or process of confecting or the result of it

A rich sweet confection made with sugar and often flavored or combined with fruits or nuts.

A sweet prepared food, such as candy or cake.

A piece of such a confection.

A sweetened medicinal compound; an electuary.

(Slang) An illicit drug, especially one, such as cocaine, that has a sugary appearance or a drug in pill form, such as MDMA.

A piece displaying splendid craft, skill, and work

To cook, preserve, saturate, or coat with sugar or syrup

To make into a confection.

Edible, sweet-tasting confectionery containing sugar, or sometimes artificial sweeteners, and often flavored with fruit, chocolate, nuts, herbs and spices, or artificial flavors.

A food item prepared very sweet, frequently decorated in fine detail, and often preserved with sugar, such as a candy, sweetmeat, fruit preserve, pastry, or cake.

A piece of confectionery of this kind.

The act or process of confecting; the process of making, compounding, or preparing something.

Crack cocaine.

The result of such a process; something made up or confected; a concoction.

(uncountable) An accessory (bracelet, etc.) made from pony beads, associated with the rave scene.

(dated) An artistic, musical, or literary work taken as frivolous, amusing, or contrived; a composition of a light nature.

(obsolete) A unit of mass used in southern India, equal to twenty maunds, roughly equal to 500 pounds avoirdupois but varying locally.

(dated) Something, such as a garment or a decoration, that is very elaborate, delicate, or luxurious, usually also impractical or non-utilitarian.

(cooking) To cook in, or coat with, sugar syrup.

(pharmacology) A preparation of medicine sweetened with sugar, honey, syrup, or the like; an electuary.

(intransitive) To have sugar crystals form in or on.

To make into a confection, prepare as a confection.

(intransitive) To be formed into candy; to solidify in a candylike form or mass.

A composition of different materials.

To conserve or boil in sugar; as, to candy fruits; to candy ginger.

A preparation of fruits or roots, etc., with sugar; a sweetmeat.

To make sugar crystals of or in; to form into a mass resembling candy; as, to candy sirup.

A composition of drugs.

To incrust with sugar or with candy, or with that which resembles sugar or candy.

A soft solid made by incorporating a medicinal substance or substances with sugar, sirup, or honey.

To have sugar crystals form in or on; as, fruits preserved in sugar candy after a time.

A food rich in sugar

To be formed into candy; to solidify in a candylike form or mass.

The act of creating something (a medicine or drink or soup etc.) by compounding or mixing a variety of components

Any sweet, more or less solid article of confectionery, especially those prepared in small bite-sized pieces or small bars, having a wide variety of shapes, consistencies, and flavors, and manufactured in a variety of ways. It is often flavored or colored, or covered with chocolate, and sometimes contains fruit, nuts, etc.; it is often made by boiling sugar or molasses to the desired consistency, and than crystallizing, molding, or working in the required shape. Other types may consist primarily of chocolate or a sweetened gelatin. The term may be applied to a single piece of such confection or to the substance of which it is composed.

Make into a confection;

Cocaine.

A weight, at Madras 500 pounds, at Bombay 560 pounds.

A rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts

Coat with something sweet, such as a hard sugar glaze

Common types include chocolate bars, gummy bears, and hard candies.

Items like pastries, cakes, and ice cream are considered confections but not candies.

They are generally made by cooking sugar until it reaches the desired consistency, then cooled into molds or shapes.

Yes, candy is a subset of confections, specifically those that are sugar-centric.

Confections are often consumed during special occasions like weddings, birthdays, or festive celebrations.

Many contain allergens like nuts, dairy, and gluten, and are high in calories.

Candy is a specific type of sweet treat, mostly sugar-based, while confection is a broader term that includes various sweet foods.

Due to high sugar content, excessive consumption can lead to dental and health issues.

Typically, confections are sweet, though some elements like nuts or cheeses might be included in gourmet versions.

Healthier options may include those made with less sugar or incorporating fruits and nuts.

These are high-quality sweets that often involve intricate preparation and fine ingredients.

Chocolate can be both, depending on its form and ingredients. It's a candy when in bars or chips, and a confection when used in cakes or pastries.

They are often associated with holidays and celebrations, contributing to traditions and festivities.

Store in a cool, dry place to prevent melting or degradation.

It's best limited and monitored, opting for sugar-free or low-sugar versions when possible.