Word Confusion: Altitude vs Elevation vs Height

Posted October 21, 2021 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Pinterest pin for Altitude vs Elevation vs Height

Altitude vs Elevation vs Height, nouns all, are all about vertical distances, but how they’re measured or viewed is where they vary.

Altitude measures the distance up starting at sea or ground level.

Elevation is all about lifting up or making higher. Raising. Improving.

Height measures from the bottom to the top of an object.

And yes, these are general definitions.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

If you found this post on “Altitude vs Elevation vs Height” interesting, consider tweeting it to your friends. Subscribe to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

Return to top

Altitude	Elevation	Height
Skyworkers is in the public domain, via Pxfuel. — “Sky” . . . implies altitude.	Eastern Elevation and Interior of a Bungalow created by Ernest Geldart is under the CC0 1.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons and courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum.	Man Height Graph Charts Growth by Rupeshtelang and in the public domain, via Pixabay.
Part of Grammar:
Noun Plural: altitudes	Noun Plural: elevations	Noun Plural: heights
The height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level Great height Extent or distance upward [Astronomy] The apparent height of a celestial object above the horizon, measured as an angle [Geometry] The length of the perpendicular line from a vertex to the opposite side of a figure [Usually altitudes] A high place or region High or important position, rank, etc.	The action or fact of raising or lifting (something) up to a higher position Augmentation of or increase in the amount or level of something [Roman Catholic Church; the Elevation in a Christian Mass] The raising of the consecrated elements for adoration [Ballet] The ability of a dancer to attain height in jumps Height above a given level, especially sea level A high place or position The angle of something with the horizontal, especially of a gun or of the direction of a celestial object [Architecture] A particular side of a building A drawing or diagram, especially of a building, made by projection on a vertical plane A raised up place, thing, or part An eminence Loftiness Grandeur or dignity Nobleness The act of raising up The state of being raised up [Surveying; angle of elevation] The angle between the horizontal and the line from the object to the observer’s eye The distance above a datum level	The measurement from base to top or (of a standing person) from head to foot [Typically sea level] Elevation above ground or a recognized level A high place or area Considerable or great altitude or elevation Extent or distance upward from a given level to a fixed point The distance between the lowest and highest points of a person standing upright Stature The most intense part or period of something An extreme instance or example of something [Often heights] A high place above a level A hill or mountain [Often heights] The highest part Top Apex Summit [Archaic] High rank in social status
Examples:
Flight data includes airspeed and altitude. We’ll be flying at altitudes over 15,000 feet. The mechanism can freeze at altitude. The balloon stopped rising at an altitude of 500 feet. The altitude of an object is used to define its position on the celestial sphere in the horizontal coordinate system. Sometimes the line segment itself is referred to as the altitude. The combination of little oxygen, strong winds, and frigid temperatures keeps the existence of plant and animal life to a minimum in mountain altitudes. She lived in those rare high altitudes of society.	We were all surprised at her sudden elevation to the cabinet. Diabetics have been found to have more pronounced elevation of systolic blood pressure. The church recommends a prayer be said by lay people at the elevation of the Host. Dancers famed for elevation maneuvers of this kind include Jean Balon, a French dancer of the late 17th century, and Vaslav Nijinsky. It’s a network of microclimates created by sharp differences in elevation. It’s a total elevation gain of 3,995 feet. Most early plantation development was at the higher elevations. As every gunner knows, increasing the elevation beyond five degrees can be a risky business. A burglar alarm was prominently displayed on the front elevation. You’d better re-check the elevation for the south side of the building. I experienced an elevation of the mind when I read Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. She was fully enjoying her elevation to movie stardom.	The columns rose to 65 feet in height. Both men were of average height. The glider is gaining height. They determined the height of the mountains. The height from the ground to the first floor was greater than usual. The height of a horse is measured from shoulder to ground as their shoulder will mostly stay the same distance from the ground. His height seems to work to his advantage. She is five feet in height. He’s terrified of heights. It was the height of the tourist season. They took consumerism to new heights. He was at the height of his career. It would be the height of bad manners not to attend the wedding. They stood on the heights overlooking the valley. In his dreams he reached the heights. He was at the height of power. Last night was the height of her pleasure. One is at the height of power when they are able to control, by order or by influence, other people’s conduct.
Derivatives:
Adjective: altitudinous	Adjective: elevational	Noun: heightism
History of the Word:
Late Middle English from the Latin altitudo, from altus meaning high.	Late Middle English from the Latin elevatio(n-), from elevare meaning raise.	Old English hēhthu (in the sense top of something), is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch hoogte, also to high.

Return to top

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

Return to top