Swamp vs. Bayou — What's the Difference?

A wetland with stagnant water.

A feature common in the southern U.S.

A habitat rich in biodiversity.

A slow-moving waterway.

A murky environment.

An offshoot of a river or lake.

A waterlogged area.

A habitat for aquatic life.

An ecosystem with dense vegetation.

In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area, and may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream or river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), a marshy lake or wetland or a creek whose current reverses daily due to tides, and which contains brackish water highly conducive to fish life and plankton. Bayous are commonly found in the Gulf Coast region of the southern United States, especially in the Mississippi River Delta.

A swamp is a forested wetland. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in creating this environment.

A body of water, such as a creek or small river, that is a tributary of a larger body of water.

An area of low-lying land that is frequently flooded, especially one dominated by woody plants.

A sluggish stream that meanders through lowlands, marshes, or plantation grounds.

A lowland region saturated with water.

A slow-moving, often stagnant creek or river.

A situation or place fraught with difficulties and imponderables

A swamp; a marshy (stagnant) body of water.

To drench in or cover with or as if with water.

An inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, from a lake, or from a large river, sometimes sluggish, sometimes without perceptible movement except from tide and wind.

To inundate or burden; overwhelm

A swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of a lake (term used mainly in Mississippi and Louisiana)

(Nautical) To fill (a ship or boat) with water to the point of sinking it.

Often brackish water.

To become full of water or sink.

A piece of wet, spongy land; low ground saturated with water; soft, wet ground which may have a growth of certain kinds of trees, but is unfit for agricultural or pastoral purposes.

A type of wetland that stretches for vast distances, and is home to many creatures which have adapted specifically to that environment.

(figurative) A place or situation that is foul or where progress is difficult.

To drench or fill with water.

(figurative) To overwhelm; to make too busy, or overrun the capacity of.

(figurative) To plunge into difficulties and perils; to overwhelm; to ruin; to wreck.

Wet, spongy land; soft, low ground saturated with water, but not usually covered with it; marshy ground away from the seashore.

To plunge or sink into a swamp.

To cause (a boat) to become filled with water; to capsize or sink by whelming with water.

Fig.: To plunge into difficulties and perils; to overwhelm; to ruin; to wreck.

To sink or stick in a swamp; figuratively, to become involved in insuperable difficulties.

To become filled with water, as a boat; to founder; to capsize or sink; figuratively, to be ruined; to be wrecked.

Low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog

A situation fraught with difficulties and imponderables;

Drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged;

Fill quickly beyond capacity; as with a liquid;

A bayou is a slow-moving or stagnant body of water, usually in a low-lying area.

Swamps usually contain stagnant water.

Bayous are primarily found in the southern United States.

Swamps support a wide range of flora and fauna.

A swamp is a wetland characterized by stagnant water and dense vegetation.

Most swamps are natural but can also be artificially created.

Swamps can be found globally, in both tropical and temperate regions.

Swamps can be freshwater, brackish, or saltwater.

Bayous often contain slow-moving or stagnant, usually brackish, water.

No, swamps are a type of wetland while bayous are a type of waterway.

Bayous are often navigable by small boats.

Bayous are rich in aquatic life like crawfish, alligators, and fish.

Bayous are generally natural waterways.

Bayous are usually brackish, containing both saltwater and freshwater.

Swamps are usually difficult to navigate due to dense vegetation.