Difference Between So and Such

So and Such are the two words in the English language which are used to emphasize the meaning of the sentence. They are also used to mean ‘like this’. These words are not the same, because while ‘so‘ is used to indicate ‘the extent of something’, ‘such‘ is used to denote ‘of the aforementioned or certain kind or degree’. Let’s take a look at these examples to understand the difference between these two words deeply:

• The movie was so boring, that I can sleep. Or
  It was such a boring movie that I can sleep.
• I can’t listen to anything. The music was so loud. Or
  I can’t listen to anything. There was such loud music.
• The breakfast is so delicious that I can have it one more time. Or
  It was such a delicious breakfast that I can have it one more time.

In these two examples you might have noticed, that while creating sentences with these two words, we’ve used the noun and adjective differently. In all the sentences the word ‘so’ is used to ‘make the meaning of the adjective stronger’. On the other hand, such is used to denote ‘of the particular type’.

Content: So Vs Such

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Examples
5. Counterparts
6. How to remember the difference

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	So	Such
Meaning	The word 'so' means to a specific/high degree or very.	The word 'such' is used to mean 'of that kind or of a particular type indicated or implied'.
Part of speech	Adverb or Conjunction	Determiner or Pronoun
Followed by	Adjective or Adverb	Noun or Noun Phrase
Examples	She has marked all the objectives so correctly.	There is such a large tortoise.
	You are doing so well.	You are such a nice person.
	Harry runs so quickly.	He is such a clever boy.

Definition of So

Basically, the word ‘so’ is used to denote the extent of something, very or without any question. However, it is mainly used to lay emphasis. In English, it can be used in different contexts, hence, in different sentences, the meaning of ‘so’ can be different. Let’s take a look at the points given below to know its usage:

As an adverb:

1. Extremely or really:
   • I like Steffy. She is so beautiful.
   • It was a hectic day. I am so tired.
   • Ten days escalated so quickly.
   • It is so painful.
   • Don’t be so dumb.
2. It can be used with the auxiliary verbs have, be and do, to indicate ‘in the same manner’, or ‘similarly’:
   • “Raveena loves butterscotch ice cream.” “So does her brother.”
   • “I am obsessed with the working conditions.” “So am I.”
3. Aforesaid or Aforementioned:
   • Do you believe in ghosts? I don’t believe so.
   • I hope they have a happy journey. I hope so too.
4. In a particular way or like this way:
   • The books are so arranged on the shelf that one can find the book of his/her interest very easily.

As conjunction:

1. At the beginning of a line or sentence, to link to something said previously:
   • So, I got the parcel, the next day.
   • So, she left for Africa immediately after getting the news.
2. For this reason, or Hence:
   • I was not in a mood to talk, so I went to the garden area, to sit lonely.
3. In order to:
   • Talk quietly so that I can study.
   • Get ready fast, so as to reach on time.
4. It is used with quantifiers like much, many, little, few etc. followed by a noun, which tells you, the amount or quantity of something:
   • There is so much water in the mug that you can easily pour in the glass.
   • I have so many friends to party with.

Definition of Such

The term ‘such’ refers to ‘of a specific type or kind, which is either previously stated or about to be stated or implied’. But it is primarily used to put stress on something. It is added in sentences as a determiner, predeterminer and pronoun. It has a number of uses, which are discussed in the points given below:

1. To lay emphasis:
   • I like Kate. She is such a kindhearted lady.
   • It was such a horrible movie.
   • I enjoyed my vacations. We had such a great time.
2. It represents ‘of a particular or similar kind‘:
   • How can you say such a big word?
   • She pulled me in such a way that I had a jerk in my hand.
3. To refer back to someone or something which is previously or just mentioned:
   • There is some Reading comprehension in the question booklet. Such questions are to be solved first.
   • I have participated in many such competitions like this one.
4. In itself or in the real sense:
   • Education as such can’t assure your job security.
5. For example:
   • There are many brands available at the new store such as Lakme, Lotus, Ponds, Nykaa, Mac etc.

Examples

So

• You are so sweet.
• This house is so big.
• The girl is so innocent.
• That was so kind of you.

Such

• She is such a sweetheart.
• They have such a big car.
• America is such a beautiful country.
• We had such a good day.

Counterparts

So	Such
I haven't seen Alex for so long.	I haven't seen Alex for such a long time.
I can't even imagine, it was so far.	I can't even imagine, it was such a long way.
There was so much rush at the examination center.	There was such a lot of rush at the examination center.

How to remember the difference

As we have discussed in the beginning that these two are mainly used to lay emphasis. You can easily know whether to use so or such in a sentence by identifying if the word is followed by a noun or an adjective/adverb. If the word is followed by a noun/noun phrase use ‘such’, but if it is followed by an adjective or adverb use ‘so’.

However, here you have to keep in mind that a noun phrase can contain adjective or adverb, so there you have to use ‘such’.