"Rubbish" vs. "junk": a linguistic spring clean

Reviewed and edited by

Anwar Kareem 30/09/2024, 11:49

English.me team member

Rubbish and junk. What's the difference?

What is similar?

Both words refer to items or material that are considered worthless, unwanted, or discarded.

What is different?

Rubbish is more commonly used in British English, whereas junk is used in both British and American English. Junk can also imply a collection of miscellaneous items, while rubbish typically refers to items intended for disposal.

Which one is more common?

Examples of usage

Rubbish

The kitchen was full of rubbish after the party.
Please take out the rubbish before it starts to smell.
She threw away the broken lamp with the rest of the rubbish.

Junk

The garage is filled with old junk we should sort through.
He collects junk metal to sell as scrap.
That email went straight to my junk folder.