What's the Difference ? - 5

economic / economical

Both these words are adjectives and they look very similar but they are quite different in meaning.

The first adjective refers to things which are associated with the economy as a system. We talk about the current economic crisis and the economic policy of a country or government.

The second adjective, however, refers to something which does not use a lot of fuel or cost a lot of money. We should try to buy cars that are more economical and look for more economical ways of heating our buildings in order to help the environment through wasting less!