Ask Difference

Span vs. Period — What's the Difference?

Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 1, 2024
Span refers to the extent or duration of something, emphasizing distance or coverage, while period denotes a length of time, often with a start and end point.
Span vs. Period — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Span and Period

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Key Differences

Span and period both relate to measurements of time or distance, but they emphasize different aspects. Span often refers to the physical distance between two points or the duration of something in a broader sense, focusing on the extent or reach. For example, the span of a bridge describes its physical length from one end to the other, while the span of a person's career could refer to its overall duration and achievements. On the other hand, a period specifically denotes a length of time, typically defined by a clear start and end point. It is commonly used to discuss historical eras, life phases, or durations of specific events.
The concept of a span can be applied more broadly than that of a period. While a period is almost exclusively used to describe segments of time, a span can describe both time and physical distances. For instance, the span of a bird's wings refers to the distance from one wingtip to the other, showcasing its application beyond temporal measurements. Whereas the period of the Renaissance refers specifically to the cultural, artistic, and scientific advancements between the 14th and 17th centuries, emphasizing its temporal boundary.
In practical usage, span tends to convey a sense of coverage or range, whether it's time, distance, or scope of influence. It is versatile, being applicable in various contexts such as construction (span of a bridge), life (life span), or projects (time span). In contrast, period is more precise, referring to time frames with specific characteristics or functions, like the Jurassic period in geology or the probationary period in employment, which are defined by distinct features or conditions.
The differentiation also extends into the subjective experience of time. For example, one might refer to the span of human civilization to discuss its achievements and progress over millennia, a concept that encompasses a broad and somewhat abstract range of time. Conversely, the period of the Middle Ages in European history is understood as a specific timeframe with particular societal, cultural, and political characteristics, providing a more focused and detailed historical analysis.
Both terms, while related to the concept of duration, offer unique perspectives. The span allows for a broader, more flexible interpretation, capable of encompassing both temporal and physical dimensions. The period, however, invites a closer examination of specific segments of time, often with an emphasis on their distinct or defining attributes. This distinction underscores the nuanced ways in which language can frame our understanding of time, distance, and history.
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Comparison Chart

Definition

The extent or duration of something.
A length of time with a start and end.

Usage

Can refer to time, distance, or coverage.
Primarily used to denote time frames.

Application

Broad, versatile across contexts.
Specific, focused on time segments.

Examples

Bridge length, career duration.
Renaissance, probationary period.

Emphasis

Coverage, range, or overall duration.
Specific timeframe, historical eras.

Compare with Definitions

Span

The distance between two points.
The bird's wingspan is notable for its species, aiding in long-distance flight.

Period

A length of time with a specific start and end, often characterized by particular events or conditions.
The Victorian period is known for its distinct architectural styles and social norms.

Span

The full extent, reach, or length of something, either in time or space.
The span of the Golden Gate Bridge impresses tourists and engineers alike.

Period

Often used in academic, scientific, and professional contexts.
The probationary period for new employees lasts three months.

Span

Often used to convey a sense of breadth or coverage.
The span of his knowledge on the subject is unmatched.

Period

Can refer to stages in life or milestones.
Her adolescent period was filled with both challenges and growth.

Span

Refers to the duration or length of an event or life.
Her career span has been marked by significant advancements in technology.

Period

Used to define distinct eras or epochs.
The Jurassic period was characterized by the dominance of dinosaurs.

Span

Can describe a broad range or series of items or events.
The novel covers a span of emotions, from joy to despair.

Period

Describes cycles or intervals in natural phenomena.
The period of the moon's orbit around the Earth is approximately 27.3 days.

Span

The extent or measure of space between two points or extremities, as of a bridge or roof; the breadth.

Period

An interval of time characterized by the occurrence of a certain condition, event, or phenomenon
A period of economic prosperity.

Span

The distance between the tips of the wings of an airplane.

Period

An interval of time characterized by the prevalence of a specified culture, ideology, or technology
Artifacts of the pre-Columbian period.

Span

The section between two abutments or piers of a bridge.

Period

An interval regarded as a distinct evolutionary or developmental phase
Picasso's early career is divided into his blue period and rose period.

Span

Something, such as a railroad trestle or bridge, that extends from one point to another.

Period

(Geology) A unit of time, longer than an epoch and shorter than an era.

Span

The distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended, formerly used as a unit of measure equal to about 9 inches (23 centimeters).

Period

Any of the divisions of the academic day.

Span

A period of time
A span of life.

Period

Sports & Games A division of the playing time of a game.

Span

(Nautical) A stretch of rope made fast at either end.

Period

Physics & Astronomy The time interval between two successive occurrences of a recurrent event or phases of an event; a cycle
The period of a satellite's orbit.

Span

A pair of animals, such as oxen, matched as in size or color and driven as a team.

Period

See menstrual period.

Span

To extend across in space or time
A bridge that spans the gorge.
A career that spanned 40 years.

Period

A point or portion of time at which something is ended; a completion or conclusion.

Span

To encircle or cover with the hand or hands.

Period

A punctuation mark ( . ) indicating a full stop, placed at the end of declarative sentences and other statements thought to be complete, and after many abbreviations.

Span

To measure in spans.

Period

The full pause at the end of a spoken sentence.

Span

A past tense of spin.

Period

A sentence of several carefully balanced clauses in formal writing.

Span

The full width of an open hand from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger used as an informal unit of length.

Period

A metrical unit of quantitative verse consisting of two or more cola.

Span

Any of various traditional units of length approximating this distance, especially the English handspan of 9 inches forming ⅛ fathom and equivalent to 22.86 cm.

Period

An analogous unit or division of classical Greek or Latin prose.

Span

(by extension) A small space or a brief portion of time.
He has a short attention span and gets bored within minutes.

Period

(Music) A group of two or more phrases within a composition, often made up of 8 or 16 measures and terminating with a cadence.

Span

A portion of something by length; a subsequence.

Period

The least interval in the range of the independent variable of a periodic function of a real variable in which all possible values of the dependent variable are assumed.

Span

The spread or extent of an arch or between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between supports.

Period

A group of digits separated by commas in a written number.

Span

The length of a cable, wire, rope, chain between two consecutive supports.

Period

The number of digits that repeat in a repeating decimal. For example, 1/7 = 0.142857142857 ... has a six-digit period.

Span

(nautical) A rope having its ends made fast so that a purchase can be hooked to the bight; also, a rope made fast in the center so that both ends can be used.

Period

(Chemistry) A sequence of elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number and forming one of the horizontal rows in the periodic table.

Span

A pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action.

Period

Of, belonging to, or representing a certain historical age or time
A period piece.
Period furniture.

Span

(mathematics) The space of all linear combinations of something.

Period

Used to emphasize finality, as when expressing a decision or an opinion
You're not going to the movies tonight, period!.

Span

(computing) The time required to execute a parallel algorithm on an infinite number of processors, i.e. the shortest distance across a directed acyclic graph representing the computation steps.

Period

A length of time.
There was a period of confusion following the announcement.
You'll be on probation for a six-month period.

Span

Wingspan of a plane or bird

Period

A period of time in history seen as a single coherent entity; an epoch, era.
Food rationing continued in the post-war period.

Span

(transitive) To extend through the distance between or across.
The suspension bridge spanned the canyon.

Period

The punctuation mark “.” (indicating the ending of a sentence or marking an abbreviation).

Span

(transitive) To extend through (a time period).
The parking lot spans three acres.
The novel spans three centuries.

Period

(figurative) A decisive end to something; a stop.

Span

(transitive) To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object.
To span a space or distance; to span a cylinder

Period

The length of time during which the same characteristics of a periodic phenomenon recur, such as the repetition of a wave or the rotation of a planet.

Span

(mathematics) To generate an entire space by means of linear combinations.

Period

(euphemism) Female menstruation; an episode of this.
When she is on her period, she prefers not to go swimming.

Span

To be matched, as horses.

Period

A section of an artist's, writer's (etc.) career distinguished by a given quality, preoccupation etc.
This is one of the last paintings Picasso created during his Blue Period.

Span

(transitive) To fetter, as a horse; to hobble.

Period

Each of the divisions into which a school day is split, allocated to a given subject or activity.
I have math class in second period.

Span

The space from the thumb to the end of the little finger when extended; nine inches; eighth of a fathom.

Period

Each of the intervals, typically three, of which a game is divided.
Gretzky scored in the last minute of the second period.

Span

Hence, a small space or a brief portion of time.
Yet not to earth's contracted spanThy goodness let me bound.
Life's but a span; I'll every inch enjoy.

Period

One or more additional intervals to decide a tied game, an overtime period.
They won in the first overtime period.

Span

The spread or extent of an arch between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between its supports.

Period

The length of time for a disease to run its course.

Span

A rope having its ends made fast so that a purchase can be hooked to the bight; also, a rope made fast in the center so that both ends can be used.

Period

An end or conclusion; the final point of a process etc.

Span

A pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action.

Period

(rhetoric) A complete sentence, especially one expressing a single thought or making a balanced, rhythmic whole.

Span

To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object; as, to span a space or distance; to span a cylinder.
My right hand hath spanned the heavens.

Period

(obsolete) A specific moment during a given process; a point, a stage.

Span

To reach from one side of to the order; to stretch over as an arch.
The rivers were spanned by arches of solid masonry.

Period

(chemistry) A row in the periodic table of the elements.

Span

To fetter, as a horse; to hobble.

Period

(geology) A geochronologic unit of millions to tens of millions of years; a subdivision of an era, and subdivided into epochs.
These fossils are from the Jurassic period.

Span

To be matched, as horses.

Period

(genetics) A Drosophila gene, the gene product of which is involved in regulation of the circadian rhythm.

Span

The complete duration of something;
The job was finished in the span of an hour

Period

(music) Two phrases (an antecedent and a consequent phrase).

Span

The distance or interval between two points

Period

(math) The length of an interval over which a periodic function, periodic sequence or repeating decimal repeats; often the least such length.

Span

Two items of the same kind

Period

(archaic) End point, conclusion.

Span

A unit of length based on the width of the expanded human hand (usually taken as 9 inches)

Period

Designating anything from a given historical era. en
A period car
A period TV commercial

Span

A structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.

Period

Evoking, or appropriate for, a particular historical period, especially through the use of elaborate costumes and scenery.

Span

The act of sitting or standing astride

Period

That's final; that's the end of the matter (analogous to a period ending a sentence); end of story.
I know you don't want to go to the dentist, but your teeth need to be checked, period!

Span

To cover or extend over an area or time period;
Rivers traverse the valley floor
The parking lot spans 3 acres
The novel spans three centuries

Period

To come to a period; to conclude.

Period

To put an end to.

Period

A portion of time as limited and determined by some recurring phenomenon, as by the completion of a revolution of one of the heavenly bodies; a division of time, as a series of years, months, or days, in which something is completed, and ready to recommence and go on in the same order; as, the period of the sun, or the earth, or a comet.

Period

A stated and recurring interval of time; more generally, an interval of time specified or left indefinite; a certain series of years, months, days, or the like; a time; a cycle; an age; an epoch; as, the period of the Roman republic.
How by art to make plants more lasting than their ordinary period.

Period

One of the great divisions of geological time; as, the Tertiary period; the Glacial period. See the Chart of Geology.

Period

The termination or completion of a revolution, cycle, series of events, single event, or act; hence, a limit; a bound; an end; a conclusion.
So spake the archangel Michael; then paused,As at the world's great period.
Evils which shall never end till eternity hath a period.
This is the period of my ambition.

Period

A complete sentence, from one full stop to another; esp., a well-proportioned, harmonious sentence.
Periods are beautiful when they are not too long.

Period

The punctuation point [.] that marks the end of a complete sentence, or of an abbreviated word.

Period

One of several similar sets of figures or terms usually marked by points or commas placed at regular intervals, as in numeration, in the extraction of roots, and in circulating decimals.

Period

The time of the exacerbation and remission of a disease, or of the paroxysm and intermission.

Period

A complete musical sentence.

Period

To put an end to.

Period

To come to a period; to conclude. [Obs.] "You may period upon this, that," etc.

Period

An amount of time;
A time period of 30 years
Hastened the period of time of his recovery
Picasso's blue period

Period

One of three periods of play in hockey games

Period

A stage in the history of a culture having a definable place in space and time;
A novel from the Victorian period

Period

The interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon

Period

A punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations;
In England they call a period a stop

Period

A unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed;
Ganoid fishes swarmed during the earlier geological periods

Period

The end or completion of something;
Death put a period to his endeavors
A change soon put a period to my tranquility

Common Curiosities

How do span and period differ in usage?

Span can refer to both temporal durations and physical distances, emphasizing breadth or coverage, while period specifically denotes a segment of time with distinct characteristics.

Can span and period be used interchangeably?

In some contexts related to time, they might be used similarly, but they are not truly interchangeable due to their distinct emphases on range versus specific timeframes.

How does the concept of span apply outside of time measurements?

Span is also used to describe physical distances, such as the length of a bridge or the wingspan of a bird, highlighting its versatility.

What is a period?

A period denotes a specific length of time, often defined by particular events or conditions.

Why is it important to distinguish between span and period?

Understanding the difference enhances clarity and precision in communication, especially in academic, scientific, and professional contexts where the distinction impacts the interpretation of information.

What types of periods are recognized in history?

Historical periods are often named after significant events, cultural trends, or dominant figures, such as the Renaissance or the Elizabethan period.

What is a span?

A span refers to the full extent, reach, or duration of something, applicable to both time and physical space.

What role does the concept of period play in science?

In science, periods are crucial for understanding natural cycles, durations of phenomena, and chronological classifications, such as geological epochs.

Can a period refer to a personal experience?

Yes, period can describe stages in an individual's life or significant phases, such as the childhood period or a period of growth.

How is span used in construction or engineering?

In these fields, span typically refers to the distance between two supports of a structure, such as a bridge or an arch.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Maham Liaqat
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.

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