Maggot vs. Worm — What's the Difference?

The larval form of certain flies.

A parasitic invertebrate that infests animals or humans.

An insect larva that typically feeds on decaying matter.

An organism in the phylum Annelida, Nematoda, or Platyhelminthes.

A soft-bodied insect larva, particularly of flies.

An elongated organism that may live in water, soil, or a host.

A term used metaphorically to describe something unpleasant.

A metaphor for someone weak or lowly.

A stage in fly development that precedes pupation.

A long, slender, legless invertebrate.

A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and crane flies. A 2012 study estimated the population of maggots in North America to be in excess of 3×1017.

Worms are many different distantly related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes. Worms vary in size from microscopic to over 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length for marine polychaete worms (bristle worms), 6.7 metres (22 ft) for the African giant earthworm, Microchaetus rappi, and 58 metres (190 ft) for the marine nemertean worm (bootlace worm), Lineus longissimus.

The legless, soft-bodied, wormlike larva of any of various dipteran flies, often found in decaying matter.

Any of various invertebrates, especially an annelid, flatworm, nematode, or nemertean, having a long, flexible, rounded or flattened body, often without obvious appendages.

(Slang) A despicable person.

Any of various crawling insect larvae, such as a grub or a caterpillar, having a soft elongated body.

(Archaic) An extravagant notion; a whim.

Any of various other animals, such as a shipworm or a slowworm, having a long slender limbless body.

A soft, legless larva of a fly or other dipterous insect, that often eats decomposing organic matter.

Something, such as the thread of a screw or the spiral condenser in a still, that resembles a worm in form or appearance.

(derogatory) A worthless person.

The spirally threaded shaft of a worm gear.

A whimsy or fancy.

An insidiously tormenting or devouring force

(slang) A fan of the American metal band Slipknot.

A person regarded as pitiable or contemptible.

(transitive) To rid (an animal) of maggots.

Worms Medicine Infestation of the intestines or other parts of the body with parasitic worms; helminthiasis.

The footless larva of any fly. See Larval.

(Computers) A malicious program that replicates itself until it fills all of the storage space on a drive or network.

A whim; an odd fancy.

To make (one's way) with the sinuous crawling motion of a worm.

The larva of the housefly and blowfly commonly found in decaying organic matter

To work (one's way or oneself) subtly or gradually; insinuate

To elicit by artful or devious means. Usually used with out of

To treat for intestinal worms

(Nautical) To wrap yarn or twine spirally around (rope).

To move in a manner suggestive of a worm.

To make one's way by artful or devious means

A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.

More loosely, any of various tubular invertebrates resembling annelids but not closely related to them, such as velvet worms, acorn worms, flatworms, or roundworms.

(archaic) A type of wingless "dragon", especially a gigantic sea serpent.

Either a mythical "dragon" (especially wingless), a gigantic sea serpent, or a creature that resembles a Mongolian death worm.

A contemptible or devious being.

(computing) A self-replicating program that propagates through a network.

(cricket) A graphical representation of the total runs scored in an innings.

Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.

A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms.

The spiral wire of a corkscrew.

(anatomy) A muscular band in the tongue of some animals, such as dogs; the lytta.

The condensing tube of a still, often curved and wound to save space.

A short revolving screw whose threads drive, or are driven by, a worm wheel or rack by gearing into its teeth.

(obsolete) Any creeping or crawling animal, such as a snake, snail, or caterpillar.

(figuratively) An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one’s mind with remorse.

(math) A strip of linked tiles sharing parallel edges in a tiling.

(anatomy) The lytta.

(preceded by definite article) A dance, or dance move, in which the dancer lies on the floor and undulates the body horizontally thereby moving forwards.

(transitive) To make (one's way) with a crawling motion.

(intransitive) To move with one's body dragging the ground.

To work one's way by artful or devious means.

To work (one's way or oneself) (into) gradually or slowly; to insinuate.

To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means.

To drag out of, to get information that someone is reluctant or unwilling to give (through artful or devious means or by pleading or asking repeatedly).

To fill in the contlines of (a rope) before parcelling and serving.

(transitive) To deworm (an animal).

(transitive) To cut the worm, or lytta, from under the tongue of (a dog, etc.) for the purpose of checking a disposition to gnaw, and formerly supposed to guard against canine madness.

(transitive) To clean by means of a worm; to draw a wad or cartridge from, as a firearm.

A creeping or a crawling animal of any kind or size, as a serpent, caterpillar, snail, or the like.

Any small creeping animal or reptile, either entirely without feet, or with very short ones, including a great variety of animals; as, an earthworm; the blindworm.

An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one's mind with remorse.

A being debased and despised.

Anything spiral, vermiculated, or resembling a worm

A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms.

To work slowly, gradually, and secretly.

To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means; - often followed by out.

To cut the worm, or lytta, from under the tongue of, as a dog, for the purpose of checking a disposition to gnaw. The operation was formerly supposed to guard against canine madness.

To wind rope, yarn, or other material, spirally round, between the strands of, as a cable; to wind with spun yarn, as a small rope.

Any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae

A person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect

A software program capable of reproducing itself that can spread from one computer to the next over a network;

Screw thread on a gear with the teeth of a worm wheel or rack

To move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling);

No, maggots transform into adult flies, and worms remain worms throughout their life cycle.

Maggots can contaminate food, but parasitic worms are the primary culprits behind many infections.

No, maggots are the larval stage of flies, while worms are elongated, legless invertebrates.

Earthworms are beneficial for soil aeration, while maggots are primarily decomposers.

Maggots have a more homogeneous body, while earthworms and other segmented worms are divided into distinct segments.

Some maggots can live in moist environments but typically don't live underwater like some aquatic worms.

Both are legless, soft-bodied, and primarily live in moist environments.

No, earthworms are considered beneficial, while parasitic worms are generally regarded as pests.

Maggots eat decaying organic matter, while worms can consume soil, plant matter, or act as parasites.

Yes, both play roles in decomposition but differ in their primary habitats.

No, many worms like earthworms are harmless and beneficial, while others like roundworms can be parasitic.

Yes, maggots are often used as bait, similar to how earthworms are used.

Worms generally have a longer lifespan compared to the short larval stage of maggots.

Maggots can pose health risks if they contaminate food sources or come in contact with open wounds.

Worm composting is more controlled and practical for gardening, while maggots are effective for large-scale waste breakdown.