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"Child" is the formal term for a young person; "kid" is informal and colloquial, but used in most everyday situations.
Side-by-side comparison
"Child" is the formal and standard word for a young person or someone's son or daughter. It is used in medical, legal, academic, and formal written contexts.
Every child has the right to an education.
The organization works to protect children from abuse.
She has been teaching young children for twenty years.
"Kid" is the informal and conversational version. It is the most common in everyday speech. It can also refer to a young goat.
How many kids do you have?
The kids are playing in the backyard.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut.
Common mistake
- •Using "kid" in formal contexts is the mistake: legal documents, medical reports, and academic texts require "child".
- •In daily conversation, "kid/kids" is what most native speakers say and is completely natural.
Trick to remember it
- •Where would you write it? CHILD/CHILDREN appears in contracts, laws, and formal documents ("child protection", "two children in the will"). KID appears in everyday conversation ("my kids", "how many kids do you have?").
- •Would you put it on an official form? CHILD. Would you say it chatting? KID.
Quick rule
- •"Child" has no age restriction (a baby is a child). Irregular plural: children. Exclusive collocations: "child labor", "childhood", "childcare", "child protection" — none accept "kid".
- •"Kid" can also refer to young adults ("the new kid at work"). On signs and official documents: child/children. In texts and conversation: kids.
Did you know?
"Kid" originally meant a young goat. In the 18th century it began to be used informally for children. Today "kids" is so common in American English that teachers, doctors, and pediatricians use it in conversation. "Children" is maintained in formal titles and laws: "The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child." And "the kid" can refer to young adults too: "He is just a kid" can be said about someone who is 25.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
We took the _____ s to the park and they played for hours.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The law says every _____ has the right to a free education.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One describes being without company, the other describes feeling sad about it.
"Custom" is a tradition or practice shared by a group or culture; "habit" is a personal behavior you repeat frequently.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy