Two terms people mix up
Two words that describe almost the same thing, and the nuance that changes what you say. Neither page covers it on its own: the comparison does.
- ad vs apThe damage type. AD deals physical damage, blocked by armor; AP deals magic damage, blocked by magic resist. Every defensive choice in the game rests on that difference.
- afk vs dcThe cause. "dc" is a disconnection, suffered; "afk" is an absent player, whether they chose it or not. The result is the same, the tone is not.
- armor vs mrThe damage type you block. Armor reduces physical damage, magic resist reduces magic damage. Neither protects you from the other.
- b vs back offThe destination. "b" means going back to base; "back off" means stepping back a few paces. One leaves the fight, the other repositions it.
- baron vs heraldThe timing, and the pit. Herald sits in the top pit from fifteen minutes, baron replaces it at twenty. The first takes a tower, the second wins the game.
- camp vs gankRepetition. A gank is one surprise attack on a lane; camping is coming back to gank the same lane again and again, until its player cannot play anymore.
- carry vs adcThe role versus the function. ADC is a position, the marksman in bot lane; carry is what any player does when they win the game for the others. Every adc wants to carry, not every carry is an adc.
- cs vs last hitThe count versus the action. A last hit is the blow that finishes a minion; cs is the number of minions finished. You last hit to raise your cs.
- fed vs feedWhich side of the table. "feed" is giving kills; "fed" is having received them. The same event, seen from the loser or the winner.
- ff vs ff15The timing. "ff" asks to surrender now; "ff15" announces a surrender at fifteen minutes, the first moment it is possible. The second is almost always tilt.
- flame vs tiltWhat you do versus what you suffer. Flame is insulting in chat; tilt is losing your composure after a setback. The first often causes the second.
- freeze vs pushThe direction of the wave. Freeze keeps it on your side, push sends it to theirs. Both are choices, and the wrong one costs a lane.
- gank vs diveThe tower. A gank catches an enemy away from their tower; a dive goes after them under it. The second is a gank that accepts tower damage.
- gg vs ezRespect. "gg" closes a game politely, "ez" mocks the losers. You can say one without the other, and you should.
- heal vs sustainThe act versus the property. A heal is a spell that restores health, now; sustain is the ability to recover health over time, by any means.
- int vs feedIntent. Feeding is dying a lot; inting is dying on purpose. One is a complaint, the other is an accusation.
- int vs trollThe method. "int" is losing on purpose by dying; "troll" is sabotaging the game by any means. Inting is one kind of trolling among others.
- jg vs jglNo difference: both shorten jungle, or jungler. It is a matter of habit, and even players who write one read the other without thinking.
- kite vs peelTwo ways of keeping an enemy at bay, but not for the same person. Kiting protects yourself by attacking while backing off; peeling protects a teammate by pushing away whoever jumps on them.
- low vs oomWhich resource is missing. "low" is health; "oom" is mana. Both say a player cannot fight anymore, but not for the same reason, and not with the same consequences.
- peel vs engageWhich way the spell points. Engage is throwing your crowd control at the enemy to start the fight; peel is saving it to protect a teammate. The same spell, two opposite uses.
- poke vs burstThe tempo. Poke wears down slowly, from range, without committing; burst kills in an instant, up close. Both are ways to deal damage, and they are not played at the same moment.
- poke vs harassThe same move, ranged damage without committing, but not at the same scale. Poke is a team plan, before an objective or under a tower; harass is one laner's work against their opponent, hit after hit.
- roam vs gankWho moves. A gank is done by the jungler, whose job it is; a roam is done by a laner, who leaves their lane for it. A roam is a gank that costs minions.
- split push vs backdoorThe target. Split pushing takes towers on a side lane while the team keeps the enemy busy; backdooring goes straight for the nexus when nobody is guarding it. One is a plan, the other a gamble.
- ss vs careInformation versus alert. "ss" says an enemy has disappeared; "care" tells a teammate to watch out. The first describes, the second orders.
- ss vs miaNo difference in meaning: both say an enemy has left their lane. It is a question of era and habit, not vocabulary.
- tank vs bruiserWhat is expected of them. A tank absorbs and controls, its damage is secondary; a bruiser absorbs and hits, it has to kill to be useful. Both stand in front, but not for the same reason.
- trade vs all inThe way back. A trade is a short exchange, after which both step back; an all-in commits everything, with no way back. Trades set up the all-in.
- ward vs pinkTwo wards that do not do the same job. A ward sees; a pink sees and stops the enemy from seeing. The first is free and invisible, the second costs 75 gold, can be seen, and kills the enemy wards around it.