WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

-philia/-phobia

-philia Words ending in –philia can have different meanings. It can mean “friendly feeling toward” such as in francophilia which means admiring of all things French. It also means “tendency toward” as in haemophilia which is a condition that affects the blood’s ability to clot. Furthermore it can mean an “abnormal liking for” such as in paedophilia which means an abnormal sexual liking for children.

-phobia Phobia means a persistent, irrational fear of a certain object or situation. Many people have minor phobias, which may cause distress but don’t affect everyday life. A phobia is considered a psychiatric disorder when it interferes with normal social functioning, such as in claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces) or nomophobia - ths isn’t an ancient Greek term, but an abbreviation for “no mobile phone” and means fear of being without your mobile phone.