"loft" or "attic"?

[Mehrgan]

Hi there,
Any difference between the two? Is either of them preferred in BrE?

Thanks.

 

[bhaisahab]

Hi there,
Any difference between the two? Is either of them preferred in BrE?

Thanks.

I think they are used about equally to mean the same thing. Perhaps "attic" is used a bit more in BrE, I'm not sure.

 

[5jj]

I think they are used about equally to mean the same thing. Perhaps "attic" is used a bit more in BrE, I'm not sure.

Had I posted before Bhaisahab I would simply have said, "No difference", but he may well be right.

I do not feel, for BrE, the difference that Gilnetter notes for AmE, though this may change. In recent years, the conversion of this storage space into a living area has become popular. My feeling is that this is more often called 'loft conversion' than 'attic conversion' in BrE.

 

[Mehrgan]

Thanks for the very helpful information. I searched through the images in Google, and, as you mentioned, it appears the loft is usually furnitured, and looks much better. Does this difference exist in BrE as well?


Thanks.

 

[Mehrgan]

Had I posted before Bhaisahab I would simply have said, "No difference", but he may well be right.

I do not feel, for BrE, the difference that Gilnetter notes for AmE, though this may change. In recent years, the conversion of this storage space into a living area has become popular. My feeling is that this is more often called 'loft conversion' than 'attic conversion' in BrE.

Thank you dear fivejedjon! I was typing my question when you kindly answered the post. I've got my answer now! Ta!

 

[crazYgeeK]

Oh, I'm not sure how English-English dictionaries say on these two words, but my English-Vietnamese dictionary uses the same Vietnamese word to say about the meaning of these two words. That means I can't learn the difference between them, oh maybe that's one reason why English is so hard to learn ! There are also some dictionaries say "loft" is a space between ceiling and roof ? So how is it in a multi-floor house ? It may only be at the highest floor, but in fact, we can build an attic for every floor.
All I wanna mean is there are some things in English countries can't be absolutely expressed with full meaning in other languages. (for example, I don't really know what Vietnamese words to express the two words "loft" and "attic" in different meanings. They are simply called "gác xép" in Vietnamese no matter how it's used as a living space or a storage. To express them exactly as the original meanings, I'm afraid that I've to use complete Vietnamese sentences not a word or a phrase