Hedge vs. Wedge — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 6, 2024
A hedge is a barrier of bushes or shrubs, serving as a boundary or decorative feature, while a wedge is a tool or piece often used to split, hold, or stabilize objects.
Difference Between Hedge and Wedge
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Hedges are living structures typically made up of closely planted shrubs or bushes. These are often used to mark property boundaries or as decorative elements in landscapes. On the other hand, a wedge is a solid piece, usually of wood, metal, or plastic, with a triangular shape used to split, hold, or stabilize objects. Its design is a fundamental application of simple machine principles.
The primary function of a hedge is to provide privacy, reduce wind speed, and enhance garden aesthetics. These green barriers can also support wildlife habitats. Whereas, wedges perform a functional role in construction and machinery, useful in creating spaces or securing parts together due to their inclined plane which converts force applied on their wide end into a splitting force at the sharp end.
Maintenance for hedges involves regular trimming and care to ensure healthy growth and desired form. This can be seasonal and requires gardening skills. In contrast, wedges require little to no maintenance, but may need replacement or adjustment depending on their material and the intensity of their use.
The use of hedges is most prominent in residential and public gardens as well as in historical landscape design. They can be seen in famous gardens worldwide. Conversely, wedges are a common tool in various industries, including construction, woodworking, and metalworking, where they are indispensable for mechanical and structural tasks.
Hedges contribute significantly to the visual appeal of a space, offering a natural look that can change with the seasons. Wedges, though utilitarian in nature, do not contribute to aesthetics but are valued for their practical utility in various working environments.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Function
Boundary, decoration
Split, stabilize objects
Material
Living plants
Wood, metal, plastic
Maintenance
Regular trimming
Minimal, replacement
Common Usage
Gardens, landscapes
Construction, woodworking
Aesthetic Value
High, changes seasonally
Low, purely functional
Compare with Definitions
Hedge
A fence or boundary formed by a dense row of shrubs or low trees.
They planted a hedge around the perimeter of their garden.
Wedge
Made from various materials depending on its use.
The metal wedge was durable enough for industrial applications.
Hedge
Enhances the aesthetic appeal of a landscape.
The flowering hedge added vibrant colors to their garden throughout spring.
Wedge
Operates on the principle of the inclined plane to exert force.
Driving the wedge under the door kept it firmly open.
Hedge
Used for privacy or to mark boundaries in landscaping.
The tall hedge kept the neighbors' view out of their backyard.
Wedge
Functional with no aesthetic contribution.
The wedge was purely utilitarian and not meant for display.
Hedge
Requires regular maintenance like trimming and watering.
Trimming the hedge annually helps maintain its shape and health.
Wedge
A tool with a triangular shape used for splitting, securing, or elevating objects.
He used a wedge to split the log.
Hedge
Can serve as a windbreak and support for wildlife.
Their hedge provided a nesting site for local birds.
Wedge
Requires little maintenance but may need replacement.
The wooden wedge was replaced after it cracked.
Hedge
A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges used to separate a road from adjoining fields or one field from another, and of sufficient age to incorporate larger trees, are known as hedgerows.
Wedge
A wedge is a triangular shaped tool, and is a portable inclined plane, and one of the six simple machines. It can be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift up an object, or hold an object in place.
Hedge
A row of closely planted shrubs or low-growing trees forming a fence or boundary.
Wedge
A piece of material, such as metal or wood, thick at one edge and tapered to a thin edge at the other for insertion in a narrow crevice, used for splitting, tightening, securing, or levering.
Hedge
A line of people or objects forming a barrier
A hedge of spectators along the sidewalk.
Wedge
Something shaped like a wedge
A wedge of pie.
Hedge
A means of protection or defense, especially against financial loss
A hedge against inflation.
Wedge
A wedge-shaped formation, as in ground warfare.
Hedge
A securities transaction that reduces the risk on an existing investment position.
Wedge
Something that intrudes and causes division or disruption
His nomination drove a wedge into party unity.
Hedge
An intentionally noncommittal or ambiguous statement.
Wedge
Something that forces an opening or a beginning
A wedge in the war on poverty.
Hedge
A word or phrase, such as possibly or I think, that mitigates or weakens the certainty of a statement.
Wedge
(Meteorology) See ridge.
Hedge
To enclose or bound with or as if with hedges.
Wedge
(Sports) An iron golf club with a very slanted face, used to lift the ball sharply upward, as from sand.
Hedge
To hem in, hinder, or restrict with or as if with a hedge.
Wedge
A shoe having a heel that extends across the shank to the half sole, forming a continuous undersurface. Also called wedgie.
Hedge
To minimize or protect against the loss of by counterbalancing one transaction, such as a bet, against another.
Wedge
Downstate New York See submarine sandwich.
Hedge
To plant or cultivate hedges.
Wedge
One of the various triangular marks that are the basic structural elements of cuneiform writing symbols.
Hedge
To take compensatory measures so as to counterbalance possible loss.
Wedge
(Sports) In snow skiing, the snowplow.
Hedge
To avoid making a clear, direct response or statement.
Wedge
To split or force apart with or as if with a wedge
Wedged the board away from the stud.
Neighbors who were wedged apart by a dispute.
Hedge
A thicket of bushes or other shrubbery, especially one planted as a fence between two portions of land, or to separate the parts of a garden.
He trims the hedge once a week.
Wedge
To fix in place or tighten with a wedge
Wedged the window frame to be level.
Hedge
A barrier (often consisting of a line of persons or objects) to protect someone or something from harm.
Wedge
To crowd or squeeze into a limited space
Wedged the books into the backpack.
Hedge
A mound of earth, stone- or turf-faced, often topped with bushes, used as a fence between any two portions of land.
Wedge
One of the simple machines; a piece of material, such as metal or wood, thick at one edge and tapered to a thin edge at the other for insertion in a narrow crevice, used for splitting, tightening, securing, or levering.
Stick a wedge under the door, will you? It keeps blowing shut.
Hedge
(pragmatics) A non-committal or intentionally ambiguous statement.
Weasel word
Wedge
A piece (of food, metal, wood etc.) having this shape.
Can you cut me a wedge of cheese?
We ordered a box of baked potato wedges with our pizza.
Hedge
(finance) Contract or arrangement reducing one's exposure to risk (for example the risk of price movements or interest rate movements).
The asset class acts as a hedge.
A hedge is an investment position intended to offset potential losses/gains that may be incurred by a companion investment. In simple language, a hedge is used to reduce any substantial losses/gains suffered by an individual or an organization.
Wedge
(figurative) Something that creates a division, gap or distance between things.
Hedge
Used attributively, with figurative indication of a person's upbringing, or professional activities, taking place by the side of the road; third-rate.
Wedge
(geometry) A five-sided polyhedron with a rectangular base, two rectangular or trapezoidal sides meeting in an edge, and two triangular ends. Category:en:Shapes
Hedge
(transitive) To enclose with a hedge or hedges.
To hedge a field or garden
Wedge
(architecture) A voussoir, one of the wedge-shaped blocks forming an arch or vault.
Hedge
(transitive) To obstruct or surround.
Wedge
(archaic) A flank of cavalry acting to split some portion of an opposing army, charging in an inverted V formation.
Hedge
To offset the risk associated with.
Wedge
A group of geese, swans, or other birds when they are in flight in a V formation.
Hedge
(ambitransitive) To avoid verbal commitment.
He carefully hedged his statements with weasel words.
Wedge
(golf) A type of iron club used for short, high trajectories.
Hedge
(intransitive) To construct or repair a hedge.
Wedge
One of a pair of wedge-heeled shoes.
Hedge
To reduce one's exposure to risk.
Wedge
(obsolete) An ingot.
Hedge
A thicket of bushes, usually thorn bushes; especially, such a thicket planted as a fence between any two portions of land; and also any sort of shrubbery, as evergreens, planted in a line or as a fence; particularly, such a thicket planted round a field to fence it, or in rows to separate the parts of a garden.
The roughest berry on the rudest hedge.
Through the verdant mazeOf sweetbrier hedges I pursue my walk.
Wedge
Silver or items made of silver collectively.
Hedge
To inclose or separate with a hedge; to fence with a thickly set line or thicket of shrubs or small trees; as, to hedge a field or garden.
Wedge
A quantity of money.
I made a big fat wedge from that job.
Hedge
To obstruct, as a road, with a barrier; to hinder from progress or success; - sometimes with up and out.
I will hedge up thy way with thorns.
Lollius Urbius . . . drew another wall . . . to hedge out incursions from the north.
Wedge
A sandwich made on a long, cylindrical roll.
I ordered a chicken parm wedge from the deli.
Hedge
To surround for defense; to guard; to protect; to hem (in).
Wedge
One of the basic elements that make up cuneiform writing, a single triangular impression made with the corner of a reed stylus.
Hedge
To surround so as to prevent escape.
That is a law to hedge in the cuckoo.
Wedge
Any symbol shaped like a V in some given orientation.
Hedge
To protect oneself against excessive loss in an activity by taking a countervailing action; as, to hedge an investment denominated in a foreign currency by buying or selling futures in that currency; to hedge a donation to one political party by also donating to the opposed political party.
Wedge
A háček.
Hedge
To shelter one's self from danger, risk, duty, responsibility, etc., as if by hiding in or behind a hedge; to skulk; to slink; to shirk obligations.
I myself sometimes, leaving the fear of God on the left hand and hiding mine honor in my necessity, am fain to shuffle, to hedge and to lurch.
Wedge
(phonetics) The IPA character ʌ, which denotes an open-mid back unrounded vowel.
Hedge
To reduce the risk of a wager by making a bet against the side or chance one has bet on.
Wedge
(mathematics) The symbol ∧, denoting a meet (infimum) operation or logical conjunction.
Hedge
To use reservations and qualifications in one's speech so as to avoid committing one's self to anything definite.
The Heroic Stanzas read much more like an elaborate attempt to hedge between the parties than . . . to gain favor from the Roundheads.
Wedge
(music) A hairpin, an elongated horizontal V-shaped sign indicating a crescendo or decrescendo.
Hedge
A fence formed by a row of closely planted shrubs or bushes
Wedge
(meteorology) A barometric ridge; an elongated region of high atmospheric pressure between two low-pressure areas.
Hedge
Any technique designed to reduce or eliminate financial risk; for example, taking two positions that will offset each other if prices change
Wedge
(meteorology) A wedge tornado.
Hedge
An intentionally noncommittal or ambiguous statement;
When you say `maybe' you are just hedging
Wedge
(finance) A market trend characterized by a contracting range in prices coupled with an upward trend in prices (a rising wedge) or a downward trend in prices (a falling wedge).
Hedge
Avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues);
He dodged the issue
She skirted the problem
They tend to evade their responsibilities
He evaded the questions skillfully
Wedge
The person whose name stands lowest on the list of the classical tripos.
Hedge
Hinder or restrict with or as if with a hedge;
The animals were hedged in
Wedge
(transitive) To support or secure using a wedge.
I wedged open the window with a screwdriver.
Hedge
Enclose or bound in with or as it with a hedge or hedges;
Hedge the property
Wedge
(ambitransitive) To force into a narrow gap.
He had wedged the package between the wall and the back of the sofa.
I wedged into the alcove and listened carefully.
Hedge
Minimize loss or risk;
Diversify your financial portfolio to hedge price risks
Hedge your bets
Wedge
(transitive) To pack (people or animals) together tightly into a mass.
Wedge
(transitive) To work wet clay by cutting or kneading for the purpose of homogenizing the mass and expelling air bubbles.
Wedge
Of a computer program or system: to get stuck in an unresponsive state.
My Linux kernel wedged after I installed the latest update.
Wedge
(transitive) To cleave with a wedge.
Wedge
(transitive) To force or drive with a wedge.
Wedge
(transitive) To shape into a wedge.
Wedge
A piece of metal, or other hard material, thick at one end, and tapering to a thin edge at the other, used in splitting wood, rocks, etc., in raising heavy bodies, and the like. It is one of the six elementary machines called the mechanical powers. See Illust. of Mechanical powers, under Mechanical.
Wedge
A solid of five sides, having a rectangular base, two rectangular or trapezoidal sides meeting in an edge, and two triangular ends.
Wedge
A mass of metal, especially when of a wedgelike form.
Wedge
Anything in the form of a wedge, as a body of troops drawn up in such a form.
In warlike muster they appear,In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings.
Wedge
The person whose name stands lowest on the list of the classical tripos; - so called after a person (Wedgewood) who occupied this position on the first list of 1828.
Wedge
A golf club having an iron head with the face nearly horizontal, used for lofting the golf ball at a high angle, as when hitting the ball out of a sand trap or the rough.
Wedge
To cleave or separate with a wedge or wedges, or as with a wedge; to rive.
Wedge
To force or drive as a wedge is driven.
Among the crowd in the abbey where a fingerCould not be wedged in more.
He 's just the sort of man to wedge himself into a snug berth.
Wedge
To force by crowding and pushing as a wedge does; as, to wedge one's way.
Wedge
To press closely; to fix, or make fast, in the manner of a wedge that is driven into something.
Wedged in the rocky shoals, and sticking fast.
Wedge
To fasten with a wedge, or with wedges; as, to wedge a scythe on the snath; to wedge a rail or a piece of timber in its place.
Wedge
To cut, as clay, into wedgelike masses, and work by dashing together, in order to expel air bubbles, etc.
Wedge
Any shape that is triangular in cross section
Wedge
A large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States
Wedge
A diacritical mark (an inverted circumflex) placed above certain letters (such as c) to indicate pronunciation
Wedge
A heel that is an extension of the sole of the shoe
Wedge
(golf) an iron with considerable loft and a broad sole
Wedge
Something solid that is usable as an inclined plane (shaped like a V) that can be pushed between two things to separate them
Wedge
A block of wood used to prevent the sliding or rolling of a heavy object
Wedge
Fix, force, or implant;
Lodge a bullet in the table
Wedge
Squeeze like a wedge into a tight space;
I squeezed myself into the corner
Common Curiosities
What are common uses of a wedge?
Wedges are commonly used in construction, woodworking, and other industries to split materials or secure objects.
Do hedges have benefits other than aesthetics?
Yes, hedges provide privacy, reduce noise pollution, act as windbreaks, and can offer habitats for wildlife.
How do you maintain a hedge?
Maintaining a hedge involves regular trimming, watering, and ensuring it is free from pests and diseases.
How often should a wedge be replaced?
The frequency of replacing a wedge depends on its material and usage but generally when it shows signs of wear or damage.
What is a hedge?
A hedge is a living fence formed by closely planted shrubs or bushes, often used for privacy or as a decorative garden feature.
What is a wedge?
A wedge is a triangular tool used to split, hold, or stabilize objects, working on the principle of the inclined plane.
Can hedges grow in any type of soil?
Hedges can grow in various soils, but some species may require specific soil types or conditions to thrive.
What materials are wedges made from?
Wedges can be made from wood, metal, plastic, or other durable materials suited to their specific use.
Are hedges expensive to maintain?
The cost of maintaining hedges can vary, but they generally require investment in time and resources for trimming and care.
What is the principle behind how a wedge works?
A wedge operates based on the mechanical principle of the inclined plane, where force applied on one end is transformed into a split force at the other end.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba 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
