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"Custom" is a tradition or practice shared by a group or culture; "habit" is a personal behavior you repeat frequently.
Side-by-side comparison
"Custom" refers to an established social or cultural practice within a group, community, or country. It is something a group does collectively.
It is a custom in many countries to shake hands when you meet someone.
Following local customs is a sign of respect when you travel.
In some cultures, it is a custom to remove your shoes at the door.
"Habit" is a personal practice that someone does regularly, almost automatically. It is individual, not social. "He has a habit of..." = he regularly does...
She has a habit of biting her nails when she is nervous.
Reading before bed is a good habit to develop.
He is trying to break the habit of checking his phone every five minutes.
Common mistake
- •"In my country, we have the habit of eating together on Sundays" is imprecise for a cultural practice: the correct word is "custom".
- •"Habit" is for personal, automatic behaviors; "custom" is for group or cultural traditions.
Trick to remember it
- •Does a whole culture or community do it? "Custom".
- •Do I do it without thinking, automatically? "Habit".
- •If you can say "in our culture / in our country", use "custom".
Quick rule
- •"Custom" = cultural or group tradition (collective).
- •"Habit" = repeated personal behavior (individual).
Did you know?
"Customs" in plural also means the border control agency: "I had to go through customs at the airport." Same word, because customs originally controlled the trade practices and commercial "customs" of travelers and merchants. And "customer" comes from the same root: the one who customarily buys at a place, someone whose "custom" is to buy there.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
In Japan, it is a _____ to bow when you meet someone.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She has a _____ of reading for thirty minutes before bed every night.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One describes being without company, the other describes feeling sad about it.
"Possibility" is something that may happen; "opportunity" is a favorable situation that lets you do something good.
"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