Label vs. Tag — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 26, 2023
A label often denotes information or branding on a product, while a tag is a small piece attached to something for identification or classification.
Difference Between Label and Tag
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
The word "Label" often refers to a piece of paper, plastic, or other material attached to a product that provides information about it. It might carry the brand name, ingredients, or instructions for use. In contrast, a "Tag" usually refers to a small piece of material, often with basic identification information, attached to items like clothing, luggage, or merchandise.
In the digital realm, both "Label" and "Tag" carry particular significance. A "Label" might be a category or section in an email client, grouping certain emails together. Meanwhile, a "Tag" might be a keyword or term assigned to a blog post, helping in its categorization and searchability.
The concept of "Label" often conveys a sense of branding or official categorization. For example, the label on a wine bottle will tell the brand, origin, and type of wine. On the other hand, a "Tag" may imply a temporary or supplementary form of identification. In a store, a price tag provides the cost but can be removed once purchased.
"Label" and "Tag" are often used interchangeably in casual language, but they have distinct uses. A music label, for instance, refers to a company that produces and markets music. In comparison, a "Tag" would be inappropriate in this context, as it implies a smaller, more transient form of identification.
In communication and social dynamics, "Label" can also refer to a descriptive term applied to an individual or group, often based on stereotypes or generalizations. A "Tag," in similar social contexts, doesn't carry the same connotation, maintaining its primary association with identification and categorization.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Denotes information or branding on a product.
A piece attached for identification or classification.
Material Form
Often a sticker or printed directly on a product.
Usually a dangling piece, sometimes made of cardboard or plastic.
Digital Context
Categories or sections, especially in email clients.
Keywords or terms, particularly on websites or blogs.
Implication
Branding, official categorization.
Temporary or supplementary identification.
Social Connotations
Stereotypes or generalizations about an individual or group.
Primarily maintains its identification and categorization meaning.
Compare with Definitions
Label
A piece of material providing information about a product.
The label on the jar listed all the ingredients.
Tag
A piece of material attached to something for identification or description.
The tag on the shirt displayed the price.
Label
A radioactive isotope used to trace a substance in a biological or chemical process.
The scientist used a radioactive label to track the compound.
Tag
A keyword assigned to a data item for categorization or retrieval.
He added several tags to his blog post for better searchability.
Label
An electronic device that emits a signal for tracking.
The research team placed a label on the shark to monitor its movements.
Tag
A graffiti signature or insignia.
The building was covered in colorful tags by local artists.
Label
A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed directly on a container or article can also be considered labelling.
Tag
A short phrase or quotation added for emphasis or clarification.
The speaker ended with the tag, To each his own.
Label
An item used to identify something or someone, as a small piece of paper or cloth attached to an article to designate its origin, owner, contents, use, or destination.
Tag
A strip of leather, paper, metal, or plastic attached to something or hung from a wearer's neck to identify, classify, or label
Sale tags on all coats and dresses.
Label
A descriptive term; an epithet.
Tag
The plastic or metal tip at the end of a shoelace.
Label
A distinctive name or trademark identifying a product or manufacturer, especially a recording company.
Tag
The contrastingly colored tip of an animal's tail.
Label
(Architecture) A molding over a door or window; a dripstone.
Tag
A dirty, matted lock of wool.
Label
(Heraldry) A figure in a field consisting of a narrow horizontal bar with several pendants.
Tag
A loose lock of hair.
Label
(Chemistry) See tracer.
Tag
A rag; a tatter.
Label
To attach a label to
Labeled the jars before storing them.
Tag
A small, loose fragment
I heard only tags and snippets of what was being said.
Label
To identify or designate with a descriptive term; describe or classify
"He missed two crucial penalty kicks ... and was labeled a loser by the previously loyal British press" (Phil Ball).
Tag
An ornamental flourish, especially at the end of a signature.
Label
(Chemistry) To add a tracer to (a compound).
Tag
A designation or epithet, especially an unwelcome one
He did not take kindly to the tag of pauper.
Label
A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
We laughed at her because the label was still on her new sweater.
The label says this silk scarf should not be washed in the washing machine.
Although the label priced this poster at three pounds, I got it for two.
Tag
A brief quotation used in a discourse to give it an air of erudition or authority
Shakespearean tags.
Label
A name given to something or someone to categorise them as part of a particular social group.
Ever since he started going to the rock club, he's been given the label "waster".
Tag
A cliché, saw, or similar short, conventional idea used to embellish a discourse
These tags of wit and wisdom bore me.
Label
(music) A company that sells records.
The label signed the band after hearing a demo tape.
Tag
The refrain or last lines of a song or poem.
Label
(computing) A user-defined alias for a numerical designation, the reverse of an enumeration.
Storage devices can be given by label or ID.
Tag
The closing lines of a speech in a play; a cue.
Label
(computing) A named place in source code that can be jumped to using a GOTO or equivalent construct.
Tag
A label assigned to identify data in memory.
Label
(heraldry) A charge resembling the strap crossing the horse’s chest from which pendants are hung.
Tag
A sequence of characters in a markup language used to provide information, such as formatting specifications, about a document.
Label
(obsolete) A tassel.
Tag
A metatag.
Label
A small strip, especially of paper or parchment (or of some material attached to parchment to carry the seal), but also of iron, brass, land, etc.
Tag
(Anatomy) A small outgrowth or polyp
A skin tag.
Label
A piece of writing added to something, such as a codicil appended to a will.
Tag
(Slang) A piece of graffiti featuring text, especially the author's name, rather than a picture
“Instead of a cursive linear tag, Super Kool painted his name along the exterior of a subway car in huge block pink and yellow letters” (Eric Scigliano).
Label
(historical) A brass rule with sights, formerly used with a circumferentor to take altitudes.
Tag
(Games) A children's game in which one player pursues the others until that player is able to touch one of the other players, who then in turn becomes the pursuer.
Label
(architecture) The projecting moulding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediaeval architecture.
Tag
(Baseball) The act of tagging a base runner.
Label
In mediaeval and later art, a representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.
Tag
(Sports) The act of tagging a ball carrier in touch football.
Label
(graphical user interface) A non-interactive control or widget displaying text, often used to describe the purpose of another control.
Tag
To label, identify, or recognize with a tag or other identifier
I tagged him as a loser.
Label
(transitive) To put a label (a ticket or sign) on (something).
The shop assistant labeled all the products in the shop.
Tag
To put a ticket on (a motor vehicle) for a traffic or parking violation.
Label
(ditransitive) To give a label to (someone or something) in order to categorise that person or thing.
He's been unfairly labeled as a cheat, although he's only ever cheated once.
Tag
To add as an appendage to
Tagged an extra paragraph on the letter.
Label
(biochemistry) To replace specific atoms by their isotope in order to track the presence or movement of this isotope through a reaction, metabolic pathway or cell.
Tag
To follow closely
Excited children tagged the circus parade to the end of its route.
Label
(biochemistry) To add a detectable substance, either transiently or permanently, to a biological substance in order to track the presence of the label-substance combination either in situ or in vitro
Tag
To cut the tags from (sheep).
Label
A tassel.
Tag
To add a taggant to
Explosives that were tagged with coded microscopic bits of plastic.
Label
A slip of silk, paper, parchment, etc., affixed to anything, and indicating, usually by an inscription, the contents, ownership, destination, etc.; as, the label of a bottle or a package.
Tag
To incorporate into (a compound) a more readily detected substance whereby the compound can be detected and its metabolic or chemical history followed.
Label
A slip of ribbon, parchment, etc., attached to a document to hold the appended seal; also, the seal.
Tag
(Slang) To mark or vandalize (a surface) with a graffiti tag
Tagged the subway walls.
Label
A writing annexed by way of addition, as a codicil added to a will.
Tag
To follow after; accompany
Tagged after me everywhere.
Insisted on tagging along.
Label
A barrulet, or, rarely, a bendlet, with pendants, or points, usually three, especially used as a mark of cadency to distinguish an eldest or only son while his father is still living.
Tag
To touch (another player) in the game of tag.
Label
A brass rule with sights, formerly used, in connection with a circumferentor, to take altitudes.
Tag
(Baseball) To touch (a base runner) with the ball in order to make a putout.
Label
The name now generally given to the projecting molding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediæval architecture. It always has a square form, as in the illustration.
Tag
(Sports) To touch (a ball carrier) to end a play in touch football.
Label
In mediæval art, the representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.
Tag
A small label.
Label
To affix a label to; to mark with a name, etc.; as, to label a bottle or a package.
Tag
A children's chasing game in which one player (known as "it") attempts to touch another, who then becomes "it".
Label
To affix in or on a label.
Tag
A skin tag, an excrescence of skin.
Label
A brief description given for purposes of identification;
The label Modern is applied to many different kinds of architecture
Tag
A type of cardboard.
Label
Trade name of a company that produces musical recordings;
The artists and repertoire department of a recording label is responsible for finding new talent
Tag
Graffiti in the form of a stylized signature particular to the artist.
Label
A radioactive isotope that is used in a compound in order to trace the mechanism of a chemical reaction
Tag
A dangling lock of sheep's wool, matted with dung; a dung tag.
Label
An identifying or descriptive marker that is attached to an object
Tag
An attribution in narrated dialogue (eg, "he said") or attributed words (e.g. "he thought").
Label
Assign a label to; designate with a label;
These students were labelled `learning disabled'
Tag
(music) The last line (or last two lines) of a song's chorus that is repeated to indicate the end of the song.
Label
Attach a tag or label to;
Label these bottles
Tag
(television) The last scene of a TV program, often focusing on the program's subplot.
Cold open
Label
Pronounce judgment on;
They labeled him unfit to work here
Tag
A vehicle number plate; a medal bearing identification data (animals, soldiers).
The subwoofer in the trunk was so loud, it vibrated the tag like an aluminum can.
Label
Distinguish (as a compound or molecule) by introducing a labeled atom
Tag
(baseball) An instance of touching the baserunner with the ball or the ball in a gloved hand to rule him "out."
The tag was applied at second for the final out.
Label
Distinguish (an element or atom) by using a radioactive isotope or an isotope of unusual mass for tracing through chemical reactions
Tag
(computing) A piece of markup representing an element in a markup language.
The
<title> tag provides a title for the Web page.The
<sarcasm> tag conveys sarcasm in Internet slang.Label
A brand or company that produces music, films, or other products.
She signed a contract with a major music label.
Tag
(computing) A keyword, term, or phrase associated with or assigned to data, media, and/or information enabling keyword-based classification; often used to categorize content.
I want to add genre and artist tags to the files in my music collection.
Label
A category or class of people or things.
He doesn't like the label of outsider.
Tag
Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress; something slight hanging loosely.
Tag
A metallic binding, tube, or point, at the end of a string, or lace, to stiffen it.
Tag
The end, or catchword, of an actor's speech; cue.
Tag
Something mean and paltry; the rabble.
Tag
A sheep in its first year.
Tag
(biochemistry) Any short peptide sequence artificially attached to proteins mostly in order to help purify, solubilize or visualize these proteins.
Tag
(slang) A person's name.
What's your tag?
Tag
A decoration drawn over some Hebrew letters in Jewish scrolls.
Tag
(transitive) To label (something).
Tag
To mark (something) with one’s tag.
Tag
(transitive) To remove dung tags from a sheep.
Regularly tag the rear ends of your sheep.
He really tagged that ball.
Tag
To have sex with someone (especially a man of a woman)
Steve is dying to tag Angie from chemistry class.
Tag
To put a runner out by touching them with the ball or the ball in a gloved hand.
He tagged the runner for the out.
Tag
To mark with a tag (metadata for classification).
I am tagging my music files by artist and genre.
Tag
To follow closely, accompany, tag along.
Tag
(transitive) To catch and touch (a player in the game of tag).
Tag
(transitive) To fit with, or as if with, a tag or tags.
Tag
To fasten; to attach.
Tag
Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress; something slight hanging loosely; specifically, a direction card, or label.
Tag
A metallic binding, tube, or point, at the end of a string, or lace, to stiffen it.
Tag
The end, or catchword, of an actor's speech; cue.
Tag
Something mean and paltry; the rabble.
Tag
A sheep of the first year.
Tag
A child's play in which one runs after and touches another, and then runs away to avoid being touched.
Tag
To fit with, or as with, a tag or tags.
He learned to make long-tagged thread laces.
His courteous host . . . Tags every sentence with some fawning word.
Tag
To join; to fasten; to attach.
Tag
To follow closely after; esp., to follow and touch in the game of tag. See Tag, a play.
Tag
To follow closely, as it were an appendage; - often with after; as, to tag after a person.
Tag
A label made of cardboard or plastic or metal
Tag
A small piece of cloth or paper
Tag
A game in which one child chases the others; the one who is caught becomes the next chaser
Tag
(sports) the act of touching a player in a game (which changes their status in the game)
Tag
Attach a tag or label to;
Label these bottles
Tag
Touch a player while he is holding the ball
Tag
Provide with a name or nickname
Tag
Go after with the intent to catch;
The policeman chased the mugger down the alley
The dog chased the rabbit
Tag
Supply (blank verse or prose) with rhymes
Tag
A game where one person chases others to touch or "tag" them.
The kids spent the afternoon playing tag in the park.
Common Curiosities
How do labels help in product branding?
Labels often display the brand name, logo, and other information, helping consumers identify and trust the product.
Why would someone tag a blog post?
Tagging helps in categorization, searchability, and can provide context to readers.
Are tags just for products?
No, tags can be found on a variety of items, from clothing to online content.
Is a label permanent?
Not always. While some labels are permanent, others can be removed.
Can "Label" and "Tag" be used interchangeably?
In some contexts they can, but they often have distinct uses and meanings.
How do labels work in digital contexts, like emails?
In emails, labels can help categorize and group related emails together, aiding in organization.
Can tags help in online searchability?
Yes, tags can enhance online searchability by associating content with specific keywords.
Do labels always provide accurate information?
Ideally, they should, but it's always good to verify critical information from trusted sources.
Do labels only appear on physical products?
No, labels can also be digital, like in email categorization.
Can a tag be a form of a game?
Yes, "tag" is also a game where players chase and "tag" each other.
Can a label be prejudicial in a social context?
Yes, when applied to individuals or groups, labels can perpetuate stereotypes or biases.
How are tags used in social media?
In social media, tags often help categorize content, link to related topics, or tag users.
Why do graffiti artists use tags?
Tags in graffiti often serve as an artist's signature or mark of territory.
What's the purpose of a price tag?
A price tag provides the cost of an item for sale.
Are music labels just about music?
While focused on music, many music labels also delve into merchandise, branding, and other ventures.
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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.
