Worm vs. Insect — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 4, 2023
Worms are legless invertebrates with elongated, soft bodies, while insects have segmented bodies, six legs, and usually wings.
Difference Between Worm and Insect
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Worms are invertebrate animals with a long, soft body and no limbs. They come in various forms, including earthworms, which are beneficial for soil, and parasitic worms, which can live inside other organisms. They lack complex appendages and typically live in soil or water.
Insects, on the other hand, are a class of invertebrates within the arthropod phylum that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax, abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and one pair of antennae. They are among the most diverse groups of animals on the planet.
Worms move through soil or their environment using muscle contractions. They play a vital role in ecosystems, particularly in soil aeration and decomposition. Their simple bodies are highly efficient for the environments they occupy, whether it’s a backyard soil or a host’s intestine.
Insects are incredibly adaptable and can be found in nearly all environments on earth. They have complex life cycles that can include metamorphosis, changing dramatically in form from larvae to adults. Insects are crucial for various ecological roles, including pollination, and can also be pests.
Each represents an evolutionary answer to survival in vastly different niches. Worms demonstrate the success of a simple, streamlined body plan while insects showcase the adaptability and complexity that come with more specialized structures.
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Comparison Chart
Body Segmentation
Long, unsegmented or faintly segmented body.
Clearly segmented into head, thorax, abdomen.
Limbs
No limbs.
Six jointed legs.
Skeleton
Lack a skeleton; some have a hydrostatic skeleton.
Exoskeleton made of chitin.
Habitat
Often found in soil or water.
Diverse habitats, including air, land, and water.
Breathing
Through skin or simple lungs/gills.
Tracheal system for respiration.
Compare with Definitions
Worm
Something, such as the thread of a screw or the spiral condenser in a still, that resembles a worm in form or appearance.
Insect
Insect refers to a small animal with an exoskeleton.
The insect buzzed around the lamp.
Worm
Worms can also refer to self-replicating computer malware.
A worm infected our network, causing widespread damage.
Insect
Insects are six-legged, winged or wingless arthropods.
Bees, a type of insect, are vital pollinators.
Worm
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.
Insect
Insect also pertains to anything resembling an insect in character.
His insect-like focus on detail was remarkable.
Worm
Any of various invertebrates, especially an annelid, flatworm, nematode, or nemertean, having a long, flexible, rounded or flattened body, often without obvious appendages.
Insect
An insect can be an emblem of insignificance or irritation.
He felt like an insect in the grand scheme of things.
Worm
Any of various crawling insect larvae, such as a grub or a caterpillar, having a soft elongated body.
Insect
Insects or Insecta (from Latin insectum) are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates and the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae.
Worm
Any of various other animals, such as a shipworm or a slowworm, having a long slender limbless body.
Insect
A small arthropod animal that has six legs and generally one or two pairs of wings
Insect pests
Worm
The spirally threaded shaft of a worm gear.
Insect
Any of numerous arthropod animals of the class Insecta, having an adult stage characterized by three pairs of legs and a body segmented into head, thorax, and abdomen and usually having one or two pairs of wings. Insects include the flies, crickets, mosquitoes, beetles, butterflies, and bees.
Worm
An insidiously tormenting or devouring force
“felt the black worm of treachery growing in his heart” (Mario Puzo).
Insect
Any of various other small, chiefly arthropod animals, such as spiders, centipedes, or ticks, usually having many legs. Not in scientific use.
Worm
A person regarded as pitiable or contemptible.
Insect
An insignificant or contemptible person.
Worm
Worms Medicine Infestation of the intestines or other parts of the body with parasitic worms; helminthiasis.
Insect
An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
Our shed has several insect infestions, including ants, yellowjackets, and wasps.
Worm
(Computers) A malicious program that replicates itself until it fills all of the storage space on a drive or network.
Insect
(colloquial) Any small arthropod similar to an insect, including spiders, centipedes, millipedes, etc.
The swamp is swarming with every sort of insect.
Worm
To make (one's way) with the sinuous crawling motion of a worm.
Insect
(derogatory) A contemptible or powerless person.
The manager’s assistant was the worst sort of insect.
Worm
To work (one's way or oneself) subtly or gradually; insinuate
She wormed her way into his confidence.
Insect
One of the Insecta; esp., one of the Hexapoda. See Insecta.
Worm
To elicit by artful or devious means. Usually used with out of
Wormed a confession out of the suspect.
Insect
Any air-breathing arthropod, as a spider or scorpion.
Worm
To treat for intestinal worms
Wormed the dog.
Insect
Any small crustacean. In a wider sense, the word is often loosely applied to various small invertebrates.
Worm
(Nautical) To wrap yarn or twine spirally around (rope).
Insect
Fig.: Any small, trivial, or contemptible person or thing.
Worm
To move in a manner suggestive of a worm.
Insect
Of or pertaining to an insect or insects.
Worm
To make one's way by artful or devious means
He can't worm out of this situation.
Insect
Like an insect; small; mean; ephemeral.
Worm
A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.
Insect
Small air-breathing arthropod
Worm
More loosely, any of various tubular invertebrates resembling annelids but not closely related to them, such as velvet worms, acorn worms, flatworms, or roundworms.
Insect
A person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect
Worm
(archaic) A type of wingless "dragon", especially a gigantic sea serpent.
Insect
To insect means to infest or swarm in the manner of insects.
(Rarely used) The room was insected with flies.
Worm
Either a mythical "dragon" (especially wingless), a gigantic sea serpent, or a creature that resembles a Mongolian death worm.
Worm
A contemptible or devious being.
Don't try to run away, you little worm!
Worm
(computing) A self-replicating program that propagates through a network.
Worm
(cricket) A graphical representation of the total runs scored in an innings.
Worm
Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
Worm
A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms.
Worm
The spiral wire of a corkscrew.
Worm
(anatomy) A muscular band in the tongue of some animals, such as dogs; the lytta.
Worm
The condensing tube of a still, often curved and wound to save space.
Worm
A short revolving screw whose threads drive, or are driven by, a worm wheel or rack by gearing into its teeth.
Worm
(obsolete) Any creeping or crawling animal, such as a snake, snail, or caterpillar.
Worm
(figuratively) An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one’s mind with remorse.
Worm
(math) A strip of linked tiles sharing parallel edges in a tiling.
Worm
(anatomy) The lytta.
Worm
(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.
Worm
(transitive) To make (one's way) with a crawling motion.
We wormed our way through the underbrush.
Worm
(intransitive) To move with one's body dragging the ground.
Worm
To work one's way by artful or devious means.
Worm
To work (one's way or oneself) (into) gradually or slowly; to insinuate.
He wormed his way into the organization.
Worm
To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means.
Worm
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).
Worm
To fill in the contlines of (a rope) before parcelling and serving.
Worm and parcel with the lay; turn and serve the other way.
Worm
(transitive) To deworm (an animal).
Worm
(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.
Worm
(transitive) To clean by means of a worm; to draw a wad or cartridge from, as a firearm.
Worm
A creeping or a crawling animal of any kind or size, as a serpent, caterpillar, snail, or the like.
There came a viper out of the heat, and leapt on his hand. When the men of the country saw the worm hang on his hand, they said, This man must needs be a murderer.
'T is slander,Whose edge is sharper than the sword, whose tongueOutvenoms all the worms of Nile.
When Cerberus perceived us, the great worm,His mouth he opened and displayed his tusks.
Worm
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.
Worm
An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one's mind with remorse.
The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul!
Worm
A being debased and despised.
I am a worm, and no man.
Worm
Anything spiral, vermiculated, or resembling a worm
The threads of screws, when bigger than can be made in screw plates, are called worms.
Worm
A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms.
Worm
To work slowly, gradually, and secretly.
When debates and fretting jealousyDid worm and work within you more and more,Your color faded.
Worm
To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means; - often followed by out.
They find themselves wormed out of all power.
They . . . wormed things out of me that I had no desire to tell.
Worm
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.
The men assisted the laird in his sporting parties, wormed his dogs, and cut the ears of his terrier puppies.
Worm
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.
Ropes . . . are generally wormed before they are served.
Worm
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
Worm
A person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect
Worm
A software program capable of reproducing itself that can spread from one computer to the next over a network;
Worms take advantage of automatic file sending and receiving features found on many computers
Worm
Screw thread on a gear with the teeth of a worm wheel or rack
Worm
To move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling);
The prisoner writhed in discomfort
The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace
Worm
Worms are elongated, soft-bodied invertebrates.
The robin pulled a worm from the soil.
Worm
A worm is sometimes used to describe a contemptible person.
He was called a worm for his betrayal.
Worm
In mechanics, a worm is a gear with a screw-like thread.
The worm gear allowed for precise adjustments.
Worm
To worm means to move with difficulty or in a twisting manner.
The puppy wormed its way into the small space.
Common Curiosities
Are all insects able to fly?
No, while many insects have wings, not all of them can fly.
Can worms have eyes?
Most worms do not have eyes, but some aquatic species have eye spots that detect light.
Are worms important to the ecosystem?
Yes, worms play a critical role in soil health and nutrient recycling.
What's the lifespan of most insects?
The lifespan of insects varies widely from species to species, ranging from days to years.
What are baby worms called?
Baby worms are often referred to as hatchlings or larvae.
Do all worms live in the ground?
No, not all worms live in the ground; some live in water or as parasites inside other organisms.
What is the largest group of insects?
Beetles are the largest group of insects.
How do insects breathe?
Insects breathe through a network of tubes called tracheae.
Is a caterpillar a worm?
No, a caterpillar is not a worm; it is the larval stage of an insect, specifically a butterfly or moth.
Do worms have brains?
Worms have simple brain structures known as ganglia.
Are all insects pests?
No, not all insects are pests; many are beneficial to humans and the environment.
How do worms reproduce?
Many worms reproduce by releasing eggs and sperm into their environment, while others are hermaphroditic.
Can worms feel pain?
It's a topic of debate, but worms lack a complex nervous system, making conventional pain as humans experience it unlikely.
What is the study of insects called?
The study of insects is known as entomology.
Can insects be beneficial?
Yes, insects can be beneficial, acting as pollinators, decomposers, and a food source for other animals.
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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.
