What's the Difference Between the Beach and the Shore?

Here in San Diego, we have one of the most beautiful beaches in all the U.S. Did you know that in some areas of the U.S., people call the beach the "shore?"

Here in San Diego, we have one of the most beautiful beaches in all the U.S. It's called Coronado Island, and it's spectacular.

When I was a little kid, my family spent the summer in Connecticut, where they call the beach the shore. Still to this day my family and I talk about our summers at the shore, even though we also spent summers at the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, as well as at Coronado Island in San Diego.

Sunrise at the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. © Jackie Donaldson

Not only do people in Connecticut call it the shore, but so do people in New Jersey. They say they're going "down the shore."

Did you know that there's actually a geographical difference between the shore and the beach?

The word "shore" simply means the land along the edge of a large body of water. Any land that directly borders a big wet area is a shore. They can be sandy, rocky, muddy, or shingle.

Here's an example of a shingle shore. It's filled with pebbles and large stones. Shingle shores hurt your feet to walk barefoot. © Paul Tyler

When we talk about something that appears on the sand that originally came from the ocean, such as seaweed, drift wood, a dead sea animal, etc., we say, "That washed up on [the] shore." We could also say, "That washed up on the beach."

A piece of driftwood washed up on a rocky shore. © Dennis Frates / Alamy

On the other hand, the beach refers to an area along the shore where you can lounge on the sand and build castles.

The beach in Nice, France along the Mediterranean Sea. Though it's made up of pebbles, people can lounge in the sun here. So it's called a beach rather than a shore. © Jackie Donaldson

What do you say, that you go "to the beach" or go "to the shore?"

If you ever need American English tips, want to brush up on your English grammar, or need to learn English from the beginning, I'm available in person at my Eastlake, Chula Vista studio or online via video chat. Contact me directly, check out my Facebook page, or visit my TakeLessons page for more info.