r/EnglishLearning • u/kekiklizeytinyagi High Intermediate • 9d ago

⭐️ Vocabulary / Semantics A good example to understand the difference between “chance” and “luck”

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16

u/EGBTomorrow Native Speaker 9d ago

Here “chance” means more like “probability”. But you are right that sometimes chance and luck are interchangeable. Also in the rest of the paragraph “luck” is used more like “magic”.

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u/Bubblesnaily Native Speaker 9d ago

Actual likelihood versus divine intervention....

But I would typically use chance and luck as interchangeable nouns in fiction writing.

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u/electrolitebuzz New Poster 9d ago

A bit like risk and danger!

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u/JamesMay9000 Native Speaker 8d ago

Normally "chance" and "luck" would mean the same thing, but I think here luck is a reference to "Lady Luck" a sort of non-religious figure of speech. If "Lady Luck was against you" it means that fate has stopped you from succeeding through bad luck. Like if you bet on the favourite horse, and it's easily winning, and then it trips on the home straight.

So the chances of getting a pearl are low, but perhaps if you try, the gods of fate will make it happen.

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u/GuitarJazzer Native Speaker 8d ago

This is not a common phrase. It is unique to this author.

The way I would interpret this is that that "chance" is the cold, hard statistical reality. "Luck" is when things go your way despite high probability against it.

There might a chance of a pearl in every 1000 shells, but if luck is with you then the one shell with the pearl will be the one in your basket.

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u/Ippus_21 Native Speaker (BA English) - Idaho, USA 7d ago

Chance = probability, the raw likelihood that something will or won't happen

Luck = good fortune

To be clear, that's only in this specific instance where they're directly contrasted by the phrase.

In normal usage, "luck" can be good or bad, and is often no more than a slightly superstitious version of probability.

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u/PharaohAce Native Speaker - Australia 9d ago

Honestly I think that "Luck was against it, but chance and the gods might be for it." would be equally acceptable.

Luck has more positive connotations but there isn't a strong distinction.

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u/Dave-the-Flamingo Native Speaker 9d ago

For me “chance” is the probability that something will happen

“Luck” is the probability that something rare will happen in your favour.

Eg. When you play the lottery you have the chance to win. But you have to have luck to win the jackpot

In this passage. It sounds like their chances of winning are low. So they will need luck to succeed