# Whats the difference between \[ \] and ( )? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2024, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-and/1010659 "2024-11-23T09:20:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-and/1010659/61 "2024-11-25T18:54:44Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > For example, iOS and anything that uses standard “markdown”, like Discourse. Discourse apparently supports Markdown; you can add a Markdown app to iOS if you choose; Word will do whatever it damn well pleases. I do like me a text editor that lets me make my own mistakes, and show me just what I typed… > ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-and/1010659/62 "2024-11-25T19:32:28Z")
> [@vbob](#): > > Word will do whatever it damn well pleases. I do like me a text editor that lets me make my own mistakes, and show me just what I typed… Word probably has a setting for that. It has a lot of adjustability in what automatic changes it makes. My phone, on the other hand, swipe can be tiresome at times. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-and/1010659/63 "2024-11-26T00:23:37Z")
Word and Outlook both randomly decide to switch parts of my text to the French spell-checker. Then it redlines my English words and Spell-check keeps giving me proposed French spellings. Highlighting that portion of text and clicking on English as the spell-check language does nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-and/1010659/64 "2024-11-27T07:35:12Z")
This. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-and/1010659/65 "2024-12-02T18:14:44Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Word and Outlook both randomly decide to switch parts of my text to the French spell-checker. You have to put those bits in the {FANCY brackets}… ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-and/1010659/66 "2024-12-08T23:44:48Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > So do you ever use the words “parentheses” or “parenthetical”? Rarely. “Parenthetical” is much more common than “parentheses”. Using “round brackets”, or just “brackets” if there are no other types, is a little like the way we use “grade-ten student” instead of “sophomore “ in high school. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-and/1010659.md?page=3)