# 32" TV screen = 32" width? 32" diagonal?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-tv-screen-32-width-32-diagonal/300467>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 21, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-tv-screen-32-width-32-diagonal/300467 "2005-04-21T19:44:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-tv-screen-32-width-32-diagonal/300467/1 "2005-04-21T19:44:14Z")

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:o Seems like I should know the answer to this, or at least be able to find it with a quick google search, but here we are.

So when a TV screen is advertised as being a certain number of inches, what dimension does that refer to? I’m assuming it’s either the width or the diaganol.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-tv-screen-32-width-32-diagonal/300467/2 "2005-04-21T19:45:32Z")

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diagonal.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-tv-screen-32-width-32-diagonal/300467/3 "2005-04-21T19:52:13Z")

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Thanks **John**.

That is all.