Settle It Once and For All?

The internet's longest-running arguments, ruled on with sources. Forward liberally. 119 questions and counting.

Debit or credit: which should you actually use?Use credit like a debit card: fraud on credit is the bank's money while they investigate, fraud on debit is yours. Federal…
How much should I tip?Tip 20 percent at sit-down restaurants, a dollar or two per drink at a bar, and 15 to 20 percent for delivery and rideshare…
Is renting really throwing money away?No. Renting buys housing; owning buys housing plus a leveraged asset plus taxes, insurance, maintenance, and transaction…
Roth or traditional: which retirement account wins?Traditional saves taxes now; Roth saves them later. Young or in a low bracket, take the Roth: pay tax on the seed, not the…
What is the difference between a credit union and a bank?A credit union is a nonprofit owned by its members, a bank is a for-profit company owned by shareholders. Credit unions…
Term or whole life insurance: which should you buy?Term, for almost everyone: pure coverage for the decades someone depends on your income, at a tenth the price. Whole life is…
What is the difference between an HSA and an FSA?An HSA requires a high-deductible health plan, the money is yours forever, it rolls over, and it can be invested. An FSA is…
What is the difference between an ETF and a mutual fund?Both are baskets of securities. ETFs trade throughout the day like a stock and are generally more tax-efficient in taxable…
What is the difference between a 1099 contractor and a W-2 employee?Control decides it, not the paperwork. If you set the hours, direct how the work is done, and supply the tools, that person…
What is the difference between an LLC and an S-corp?They are not the same category. LLC is a legal entity; S-corp is a tax election that an LLC or corporation can make. The…
What is the difference between a deductible, a copay, and an out-of-pocket maximum?The premium is what you pay monthly to have coverage. The deductible is what you pay before the plan starts sharing costs…
What is the difference between an HMO and a PPO?An HMO costs less and restricts you to its network with a referral required for specialists. A PPO costs more and lets you…
Does car insurance follow the car or the driver?Mostly the car. If you lend your vehicle to a licensed friend and they crash, your policy is generally primary. There are…
Does filing an insurance claim raise your rates?Usually yes for at-fault auto claims and often for home claims, and the increase persists for years. That is why small…
Should you raise your insurance deductible?Usually yes, if you can absorb the higher amount without borrowing. Raising a deductible cuts premiums meaningfully and…
Should you get a fixed or adjustable rate mortgage?Fixed for most people, because payment certainty over thirty years is worth a great deal. An adjustable rate makes sense…
What is the difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval?Pre-qualification is an informal estimate based on what you tell the lender. Pre-approval involves verified documents and a…
Should you ever waive a home inspection?No, and this is one of the few places worth being categorical. Waiving inspection to win a bidding war means committing…
How do you actually decide whether to rent or buy?Compare total unrecoverable costs, not rent against a mortgage payment. Owning has its own money that never comes back…
Should you pay off your mortgage early?Mathematically it depends on your rate against what the money could earn elsewhere. Below about four percent, investing…
What is the difference between a HELOC and a home equity loan?A home equity loan is a lump sum at a fixed rate. A HELOC is a revolving line you draw from at a variable rate. Both put…
What does escrow actually mean in a home purchase?Two different things share the name. During a purchase, escrow is a neutral third party holding funds and documents until…
Do I really need 10,000 steps a day?10,000 steps was a 1960s pedometer marketing number, not science. Research shows major benefits arrive by 7,000 to 8,000…
How much water should I drink a day?The 8-glasses rule is folklore. Science says roughly 15.5 cups of total fluid a day for men and 11.5 for women, food…
How do you tell a cold from the flu?Onset and severity. A cold arrives gradually with a sore throat and congestion and rarely floors you. Flu tends to hit…
Is cracking your knuckles bad for you?No. The pop is a gas bubble in joint fluid, and studies, including one doctor who cracked one hand for 60 years, found no…
Should you wash raw chicken before cooking it?No. Rinsing chicken sprays bacteria up to three feet around your sink and kills nothing. Cooking to 165°F does all the…
Should you rinse rice before cooking it?Yes for most long-grain and basmati rice, where rinsing removes surface starch and gives separate fluffy grains. No for…
What is the difference between baking and roasting?Mostly temperature and what you are cooking. Roasting uses higher heat on foods with existing structure, like meat and…
What is the difference between jam, jelly, preserves, and marmalade?Jelly uses strained juice only and sets clear. Jam uses crushed fruit and is thicker. Preserves contain whole or large…
Which type of two-factor authentication is actually best?Hardware security keys are strongest, authenticator apps are a good default, and SMS codes are the weakest but still far…
What is a passkey, and is it better than a password?A cryptographic credential stored on your device that replaces the password entirely. It cannot be phished, guessed, or…
What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?The S is encryption. HTTPS scrambles traffic between your browser and the site so it cannot be read or altered in transit…
What temperature should you set the thermostat?The efficiency answer: 68°F when home in winter, 78°F in summer, with setbacks when out or asleep worth about 10 percent off…
Do you need to rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher?No, and you should not. Scrape off solids, then load them dirty. Modern detergents contain enzymes that need food residue to…
How often should you wash your sheets?Once a week is the standard, two weeks is the honest ceiling. You shed skin cells and sweat nightly, and dust mites throw a…
Is there really a cheapest day to book flights?The Tuesday-booking trick is dead; fares reprice constantly by algorithm. What works: book domestic 1 to 3 months out…
What is the difference between TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and CLEAR?PreCheck speeds domestic security screening. Global Entry adds expedited customs on international arrival and includes…
What is the difference between a layover and a stopover?A layover is under 24 hours on domestic itineraries, or under 24 on international; a stopover is longer and is often a…
Do you still need a cover letter?Sometimes, and it costs little to include one. Many recruiters skip it, but a specific, short letter still helps for career…
How long should you wait to text back?Reply when you see it and feel like replying. Strategic delay is a game with no prize: the right person is not timing you…
How much should you spend on a wedding gift?$75 to $100 for friends and coworkers, $100 to $200 or more for close friends and family. Cash is fully acceptable now, and…
Who pays on a first date?The person who did the inviting offers to pay. The other person offers to split. Whoever wins, decide in five seconds and…
What actually makes someone an introvert or an extrovert?Not shyness. The trait is closer to where you direct attention and how much external stimulation you find rewarding, and…
Why is Pluto not a planet anymore?Because it has not cleared its orbital neighborhood, the third of three criteria the International Astronomical Union…
What is the difference between a comet, an asteroid, a meteor, and a meteorite?Asteroids are rocky, comets are icy and grow tails near the sun. A meteor is the streak of light when something enters the…
What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?Medicare is federal health coverage based mainly on age, 65 and older, plus certain disabilities. Medicaid is need-based…
Why do we still have daylight saving time?It started as a WWI fuel-saving measure, the farmers actually opposed it, modern studies find little energy benefit, and…
What is the difference between a senator and a representative?Two senators per state serving six-year terms, versus 435 representatives allocated by population serving two-year terms…
Is the United States a democracy or a republic?Both, and the framing of the question is usually a rhetorical move. The US is a constitutional republic and a representative…
What is the difference between a primary and a caucus?A primary is a state-run secret-ballot election. A caucus is a party-run meeting where participants gather, discuss, and…
Affect vs. effect: which one do I want?Affect is almost always the verb, effect almost always the noun: the rain affected the game; the rain had an effect on the…
Can you end a sentence with a preposition?Yes. The prohibition was invented in the 1600s by writers trying to make English behave like Latin, and no major style guide…
What is the Oxford comma, and do you need it?The comma before the final and in a list: red, white, and blue. It is optional, but use it, because leaving it out…
What is the difference between e.g. and i.e.?E.g. means for example and introduces a partial list. I.e. means that is and restates or clarifies precisely. Memory trick…
When does its take an apostrophe?Only when it means it is or it has. The possessive its takes no apostrophe, which breaks the usual rule and is exactly why…
Your or you're: what is the actual rule?You're is a contraction of you are; your shows possession. Expand the contraction to test it: if you are fits the sentence…
Then or than: which one do you need?Than is for comparison: bigger than, rather than. Then is about time or sequence: first this, then that. If you are…
What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?Sympathy is feeling for someone, from the outside. Empathy is feeling with them, from inside their experience. Sympathy says…
What does ironic actually mean?A gap between what is expected or stated and what is actually the case. Rain on your wedding day is bad luck rather than…
Lay or lie: which one do you want?Lay takes an object and lie does not. You lay a book on the table; you lie down. The reason nobody keeps it straight is that…
Whose or who's: which one do you need?Who's is a contraction of who is or who has. Whose is possessive. Expand it to test: if who is fits, use the apostrophe. It…
Is i before e except after c actually true?The short rule fails constantly: weird, science, seize, their. The full old version, restricted to the ee sound, works…
Is irregardless a word?Yes, it is in the dictionary, and has been for decades, labeled nonstandard. Dictionaries record usage rather than issue…
Does literally now mean figuratively?The intensifier use of literally is centuries old; Twain, Joyce, and Dickens all did it, and dictionaries record it. English…
Are double negatives actually wrong?Wrong in standard written English, but grammatically systematic in many dialects and in most world languages. I don't know…
Fewer or less: which is correct?Fewer for things you can count, less for amounts you cannot: fewer bottles, less water. The famous exception is time, money…
Who vs. whom: does anyone still care?The test: answer the question with he or him. He gets who; him gets whom. In speech, whom is dying and nobody will arrest…
What is the plural of octopus?Octopuses, and it is the form dictionaries list first. Octopi applies a Latin rule to a Greek word, which is why it is…
Complement or compliment: which is which?Complement with an e completes something. Compliment with an i is praise. The memory hook is that complement contains…
Farther or further: does the distinction still hold?The traditional rule assigns farther to physical distance and further to figurative extent, and it is worth following in…
What is the order of operations?Parentheses, exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right. The…
What is the difference between APR and APY?APR is the annual rate without compounding and is used for what you borrow. APY includes compounding and is used for what…
Should you stretch before or after a workout?Do dynamic movement before, save the long holds for after. Research shows static stretching pre-workout does not prevent…
Why do Americans call it soccer when everyone else says football?Soccer is a British word. It came from association football, shortened to assoc and then soccer by Oxford students in the…
What is the difference between rugby and American football?American football descends from rugby and diverged in the 1880s when Walter Camp introduced the line of scrimmage and downs…
Does premium gas do anything for a regular car?If your car specifies regular, premium buys you nothing: AAA tested it and found no gains in power, mileage, or emissions…
What is the difference between AWD and 4WD?AWD is usually automatic and always on, tuned for traction on wet or snowy roads. 4WD is typically driver-selectable with a…
What is the difference between horsepower and torque?Torque is twisting force, how hard the engine pushes. Horsepower is how fast it can do that work, torque times engine speed…
Is it legal to record a conversation?Depends on your state. Most are one-party consent, meaning you may record a conversation you are part of. Around a dozen…
What is the difference between a statute of limitations and a statute of repose?A statute of limitations starts running when a claim accrues or is discovered. A statute of repose starts from a fixed event…
What can a notary actually do?Verify identity and witness signatures. A notary is not a lawyer, cannot give legal advice, cannot draft documents for you…
Do you have to tip at a counter with a screen?No, and the pressure is by design. Tipping norms expanded to counter service through default screen prompts, not through any…
Do you really need to wait 30 minutes after eating to swim?No. There is no evidence linking eating to drowning or dangerous cramps. The advice appears to trace to a 1908 Boy Scout…
Does pineapple belong on pizza?The Hawaiian was invented in 1962 by a Greek immigrant in Canada, sweet-plus-salty has centuries of culinary precedent, and…
How do you pronounce GIF?The format's creator insists on JIF, peanut butter and all, but usage surveys show the hard G winning decisively, and…
Is a hotdog a sandwich?Merriam-Webster says yes; the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council formally ruled no, declaring it its own category. We side…
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?Botanically a fruit, legally a vegetable in the United States. The Supreme Court ruled in 1893 that tomatoes are vegetables…
Is it rude to recline your airplane seat?You paid for a seat that reclines, so it is not rude to use it, but it is rude to slam it back without looking. The real…
Should toilet paper hang over or under?Over, and there is a patent to prove it. The 1891 patent drawing shows the paper hanging over the top. Over is also more…
Should you tip on takeout?Something small, in the 10 percent range, when someone assembled and packed the order, and nothing is genuinely acceptable…
Does the five-second rule actually work?No. Bacteria transfer on contact, essentially instantly, and the amount depends far more on the food's moisture and the…
Should you wash raw chicken before cooking?No. Rinsing does not remove bacteria, it sprays them around the sink and counter in droplets that can travel a couple of…
Are there actually rules about which foods belong to which meal?No, and the categories are surprisingly modern and local. Breakfast food is a cultural convention, not a nutritional one…
Is cereal a soup?No. Soup is defined by cooking and intent: liquid as the unified dish. Cereal is dry solids meeting cold milk seconds before…
Is ketchup on a hot dog actually wrong?No, eat what you like. The rule is a Chicago regional tradition that got treated as universal law, and even the National Hot…
Is it rude to use speakerphone in public?Yes. You are conscripting everyone nearby into a conversation they did not choose, and unlike ambient noise, speech is…
Is it rude to decline a wedding invitation?No. Declining promptly and warmly is a normal, respected answer, and it saves the couple real money since they pay per head…
Are open offices actually better than cubicles?No, on the evidence. Harvard research tracking employees before and after a move to open plan found face-to-face interaction…
Is water wet?Wetness describes a liquid adhering to a solid, so water makes things wet rather than being wet itself. Fire is not burnt…
Is it better to idle or turn the engine off when waiting?Turn it off past about ten seconds. The old belief that restarting burns more fuel than idling was true for carbureted…
Is it better to shower in the morning or at night?Night has a slight edge for sleep and clean sheets; morning wins for alertness and for people whose hair needs it. Both are…
Should you take your shoes off in someone else's house?Take them off unless told otherwise, and the hygiene evidence backs the habit. Studies find substantial bacteria on shoe…
Does a straw have one hole or two?One, on the mathematical definition most people end up agreeing with. A straw is topologically a tube, equivalent to a…
Is it rude to call someone without texting first?For non-urgent matters, texting first is now the courteous default, and the generational split on this is real rather than…
Is it acceptable to take your shoes off on a plane?Shoes off is fine on a long flight, socks stay on, and bare feet are not acceptable anywhere outside your own seat. Never go…
Does it matter whether milk goes in the tea before or after?It genuinely changes the chemistry. Adding tea to milk warms the milk gradually; pouring milk into hot tea heats it in…
Who really discovered America?Indigenous peoples arrived at least 15,000 years ago, so they discovered it. Among Europeans, Norse sailor Leif Erikson…
Who was really the first president of the United States?George Washington, inaugurated in 1789 under the Constitution. The trivia trap points to John Hanson, who led Congress under…
How many continents are there?Depends where you went to school. English-speaking countries teach seven, much of Europe and Latin America teach six by…
What is the tallest mountain in the world?Everest is the highest above sea level at 29,032 feet, but Mauna Kea in Hawaii is taller base to peak, most of it…
What is the difference between the UK, Great Britain, and England?England is one country; Great Britain is the island holding England, Scotland, and Wales; the UK adds Northern Ireland. So…
How many oceans are there?Five, by current convention: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern. Physically there is one connected world ocean…
What is the largest desert in the world?Antarctica, which surprises people. A desert is defined by low precipitation rather than heat or sand, and Antarctica…
What is the capital of Australia?Canberra, not Sydney or Melbourne. It exists because those two cities could not agree which should be the capital, so a new…
What is the longest river in the world?Traditionally the Nile, at about 4,130 miles, but it is genuinely contested: many scientists argue the Amazon is longer…
What is the difference between an island and a continent?There is no scientific threshold, only convention. Australia is called a continent and Greenland an island despite both…
What is the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon, and a cyclone?Nothing meteorological. They are the same storm with three regional names: hurricane in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific…
What is the difference between a weather watch and a warning?A watch means conditions are favorable and you should prepare. A warning means it is happening or imminent and you should…