Tell apart To recognize the difference between people or things that are similar. I can't tell the twins apart. They look just alike. Covid and the flu share deceptively similar symptoms, which can be challenging to tell apart. If you're in an area where both ravens and crows are common, the easiest way to tell them apart is by the size.

Tell from To distinguish the difference between people or things that look similar to each other. Can you tell real flowers from artificial ones? The artificial ones are becoming increasingly realistic.

Tell off To reprimand someone; to talk angrily to someone about something they've done wrong. Her boss told her off for being late. My parents told me off when I was eight for telling a friend's mother that the curtains in their house didn't match the rugs.

Tell on To tell someone that someone else has done something wrong or bad. You're not going to tell on me. Are you? If I tell on you, you'll be in big trouble, and I don't think you want that.