Difference between stupid and dumb

[anna, Indonesia]

Test No. incompl/elem-12 "We went on holiday", question 1

I expect you think I'm ......... because I don't understand that.

(a) dumb
(b) stupid
(c) deaf
(d) crazy

Test No. incompl/elem-12 "We went on holiday", answer 1

I expect you think I'm stupid because I don't understand that.

Correct answer: (b) stupid

Your answer was: correct
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what is the difference between stupid and dumb? when do you have to use stupid or dumb in your sentence?

anna, Indonesia

[Alan]

Stupid simply means not being intelligent as in: I was very stupid this morning because I forgot to lock the front door. Dumb means literally unable to speak but is often used in conversation to mean pretending not to know as in: She's acting/keeping dumb about the matter because she doesn't want anyone to know what she knows.
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[danielachirita]

hello, my name is daniela and here's what i want to tell you : i solved the test with reckon and realize... (i chose reckon)when i checked my score i had 10 of 10, then i went to explanation but there it said "reckon" was incorrect.....so which one is true?
yours,
daniela

[chokyi]

Hi,

what is the difference between manners and habits. when do we use these two words and why?
Though I got this answer right but I am still confused.

[Ralf]

habits - reoccurring things you do
manners - good social habits
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[Ralf]

Hi Daniela,

The test is a bit ambiguous. Both 'reckon' and 'realise' are possible, but 'reckon' here is a colloquial way to say 'presume', and it not commonly used in this way everywhere.

Cheers,

Ralf
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[Yankee]

[Torsten]

The information has not disappeared -- I've just moved it here.
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[Yankee]

Here are some samples of American usage (taken from the COCA). They were easy to find. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) more in the corpus alone:

- Is that a dumb question?
- I thought the people who supported Ronald Reagan were dumb.
- This jury is an intelligent group. These are not dumb people. These are very intelligent people.
- Surely as Tony himself says we wouldn't be dumb enough to do that.
- I don't think that consumers are as dumb as flaky activists give them credit for being.

And don't forget the movie Dumb and Dumber! Sure, they act dumb in that movie, but that's because they are dumb. The movie is about two incredibly unintelligent/stupid guys. They are both unbelievably dumb! How could anyone who's seen that movie possibly believe that the words "dumb" and "dumber" in that title do not refer to lack of intelligence?!?
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

As you can see in the quote below, this test tells test-takers that a correct option is incorrect.

[lost_soul]

Hi, Torsten and Alan

I wholeheartedly second Amy's statement. It is misleading, I'm afraid. Maybe it might make sense to add incorrect in BrE or something like that.

Alex.

[MrPedantic]

I don't think "dumb" could be described as "incorrect in BrE". Most people would know what it meant.

"Crazy" wouldn't be so strange, either.

Suggested options: "stupid", "torpid", "deaf", "dumbfounded".

MrP

[Yankee]

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This test has not been corrected yet. Just a reminder.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[saad71]

Thanks Mr Alan for the explanation concerning the difference between stupid and dumb.