What is the difference between a sofa and couch?

Answer 1

For all intents and purposes, in daily life in North America, the meaning is the same. If you say the words couch or sofa most people in English speaking countries will envision the same thing. And, lets face it, culture usually sets the standard for the meaning of words. When culture changes, the meanings of words tend to change. However, technically (or should I say linguistically) couch and sofa are different. The origin of the word sofa is Arabic and refers to a bench type of furniture raised slightly from the floor. This bench usually had a back and arms. The word couch is French in origin, from a word that meant to lie down. A couch was originally more like a bed, a raised seat without back or arms. But today they are basically the same thing. By the way, in England they don't really use the word couch. They prefer sofa or settee.

Answer 2

I cannot find any certain difference. It seems that the words are interchangeable. Some people say they use one word or the other based on either where they grew up, or what they grew up hearing... It's kind of like using the words car and automobile, or soda and pop.

Aside from personal style, which is the right term to use? The answer is sofa. The reason is simply because couches are not sofas. A couch is the armless variety of furniture that one would have seen in the Victorian period, as in "fainting couch." It was a place for the ladies wearing those tight fitting corsets which restricted breathing to be able to "sit a spell." The root of the word from the French has to do with "to lie down." In our more modern times, we've added arms, taken off the legs, and call it a sofa, which is in keeping with the Arabic roots of that word which implies a meaning along the lines of "a bench" or someplace meant for reclining or sitting, but not laying. So there it is. Here in America what most folks have in their living room is a sofa.

Answer 3

Nothing. They are both Davenports.