# outlet and socket



## bamboo--tw

My laptop's batteries don't last very long. I'm always looking for an electrical outlet.


Hi,
Does "an electrical socket" amount to "an electrical outlet?" Thanks.


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## nzfauna

I think they do?  But be aware that reference to this is highly regional.

In NZ, I'd probably refer to a socket, or plug.


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## panjandrum

I would be looking for an electricity socket.
Where is the nearest socket?

Outlet sounds strange to me, though I would know what you meant.

Many people around here would be asking for the nearest plug.  "Is there a plug anywhere near here?"  
This is irrational to pedantic once-engineers, but it happens a lot.


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## JamesM

To me, an outlet may have multiple sockets.  A socket is where you plug the appliance in.

For example, this outlet has two sockets, in my use of the terms:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...el.jpg/800px-Electrical_outlet_with_label.jpg


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## jucami

Here is my understanding of these words in the US:

A plug is the metal prongs on the end of a cord.
A socket is the hole into which a light bulb fits.
An outlet is the hole in the wall into which a plug fits.  Some people might call this a receptacle.


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## Giorgio Lontano

JamesM said:


> To me, an outlet may have multiple sockets. A socket is where you plug the appliance in.
> 
> For example, this outlet has two sockets, in my use of the terms:


 

Agreed.


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## Packard

In the US we generally hear "outlet".

Famously Rodney Dangerfield said, "I got held up by a man with an electric razor; it was my fault really, I was walking by an outlet store."


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## rotor

En mi opinion socket is British english and outlet is american english


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## stephenlearner

My Oxford dictionary does not say outlet means an electrical socket. So I think British men say socket and Americans use outlet. 

For those that don't get fixed on a wall but can move because they have a cord, what do you call them? Still outlet or sockt?


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## Egmont

stephenlearner said:


> ... For those that don't get fixed on a wall but can move because they have a cord, what do you call them? Still outlet or sockt?


They are still outlets. The outlet is the part that looks like this. (The exact appearance varies from country to country, of course.) It's an outlet whether it's in the wall, at the end of a cord, or anywhere else.


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## Andygc

Egmont said:


> They are still outlets.


In American English. They're still sockets in BE. On the end of a cable it's a "trailing socket". If there's more than one set of holes it's a double/triple/quadruple socket.


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## Rover_KE

In BE, an electrical socket is a *power* *point*.

<<_an electrical socket mounted on or recessed into a wall_>>


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## JamesM

Apparently not, from what Andygc says.  A power point is in the wall, according to that definition.


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## stephenlearner

Thanks a lot for your answers.


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## Smauler

It's quite random in BrE, depending on who you talk to.

If I was asking for one, I'd probably ask for a "plug socket".  I know this is tautological, but I think more people would understand that than if you just asked for a "socket".

"Can I plug this in somewhere?" is always an alternative.


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## Andygc

Smauler said:


> It's quite random in BrE, depending on who you talk to.
> 
> If I was asking for one, I'd probably ask for a "plug socket".  I know this is tautological, but I think more people would understand that than if you just asked for a "socket".


I'm doubtful that you can describe the usage as 'random'. Surely the thing that matters is the context. Post #9 rekindled this thread in relation to an extension lead or trailing lead. I suggest most BE speakers would call the thing on one end a plug and the thing on the other end a socket. If you went into an electrical suppliers most people wanting a socket would be more specific "a double-pole switched single 13 amp socket, please". The chap behind the counter might look somewhat askance if you just asked for a "plug socket", unless, of course, you are female when he'd take it as merely reinforcing a gender stereotype which has kept far too many British women out of a career in engineering.

I find panjandrum's post #3 a good description of what I hear in Britain.


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## natkretep

I hear '(electrical) socket' and 'power point' used interchangeably here, whether it's on the wall or not. I hear 'extension socket' for the one trailing on a flex. (Oh, and _flex_ is a BrE alternative for an electrical cable.)


stephenlearner said:


> So I think British men say socket and Americans use outlet.


Did you really mean to suggest that British men used a particular term, and that British women said something else?


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## stephenlearner

The British people, I mean. Incorrect usage may produce funny effect.


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## meijin

Hi, please imagine someone living outside your country asking the following question over the phone.

For those living in the US: _How many *sockets* do *wall outlets* usually have in the US?_
For those living in the UK: _How many *sockets* do *wall powerpoints* usually have in the UK?_

I think the US version is correct, but I'm not sure about the UK version. _"How many *sockets* do wall *sockets*..."_ surely wouldn't work...

(If I were asked how many they had in Japan, I would answer "Two or three")


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## Packard

This is called a "duplex socket wall outlet".  They can be ganged in junction boxes of various sizes but typically in a home for just one or two units.

The duplex socket is shown on the left, a junction box with the capacity for two duplex sockets is shown in the middle.  The mounted duplex sockets with a wall plate is shown on the right.


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## Andygc

meijin said:


> For those living in the UK: _How many *sockets* do *wall powerpoints* usually have in the UK?_


I'd assume you were a foreigner because you needed to ask the question, so I'd not be surprised by your lack of colloquial English. I can't think of how a BE speaker would ask the question, because no BE speaker would ever need to ask it. The answer would be "two" because double sockets are by far the commonest type, simply because of the requirements of the Wiring Regulations. I also can't think how a BE speaker might ask the question of an American because I can't think of a context that would make me ask. If I was in the USA and was looking at Packard's duplex wall outlet I might say "are your sockets usually doubles like that?"


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## Packard

There are a few deviations but by and large all wall sockets have two receptacles.  There exceptions include a lower socket for a wall plug with a switch which controls that socket, a wall socket plus USB charging sockets, etc.  

But those are the rare exceptions.  The USB receptacles are becoming more common however.


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## natkretep

When we rewired our house, I think we talked about double, triple and quadruple wall sockets. And of course you can get singles. In the industry, the term is 2-gang, 3-gang and so on. If I had to ask a question, I would say, 'Are sockets here normally double (2-gang) sockets?' (very similar to Andy's version).


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## meijin

Andygc said:


> I'd assume you were a foreigner because you needed to ask the question,


Yes, as I said:


meijin said:


> Hi, *please imagine someone living outside your country asking the following question over the phone*.








natkretep said:


> If I had to ask a question, I would say, 'Are sockets here normally double (2-gang) sockets?' (very similar to Andy's version).


So, if US's "outlet" is called "socket" in Singapore and the UK, what do you call US's "socket" in Singapore or the UK?

For example, judging from a couple of posts by AmE speakers in this thread, AmE speakers would say either...

1._ There are three outlets in my room, but one of the sockets doesn't work._
or
2. _There are three sockets in my room, but one of the receptacles doesn't work._

Do BrE speakers say like #2?


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## natkretep

We have British-style sockets that look like the picture below. I'd say that there are two sockets or that there is a double socket here. I'd say 'The left/right socket doesn't work.'



If I'm using a multi-plug socket like the one below, I think I might still say 'The top/front/bottom/etc socket doesn't work.'



I might also say 'plug point' instead of 'socket'.


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## meijin

natkretep said:


> We have British-style sockets that look like the picture below. I'd say that there are two sockets or that there is a double socket here.


Thanks natkretep. So, if you only said "There are six sockets in my room", does it mean you can plug in six appliances (three outlets in AmE), not twelve appliances, because you didn't say "There are six *double* sockets in my room"?


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## natkretep

Yes, 6 sockets means 6 plug points to me. Don't assume they are all double sockets. We still see single sockets around.



So there might be 6 individual sockets. Or if you have only one individual socket, you can also get 6-gang socket extensions.



If you plug that into that individual socket, you can also plug in 6 appliances!


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## meijin

natkretep said:


> Yes, 6 sockets means 6 plug points to me.


I see. So, if there were one single socket, two double sockets, and three triple sockets in your room, what noun would you use when saying "There are three _________s in my room"? I think AmE speakers would say "three outlets".



natkretep said:


> If you plug that into that individual socket, you can also plug in 6 appliances!


You're right. I had forgotten about that.


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## kentix

I've never seen an outlet with a single socket in an American context before. At least in residential use, they "always" come in pairs (except for the special high voltage ones used for dryers and stoves).

On the Home Depot website they only show one pure single-socket residential outlet (in the first few pages at least). There are quite a few commercial grade ones, but lots of those are in combination with a switch or sensor or some other function that takes up the position the other socket would occupy.

They call the standard two-socket outlets, duplex outlets. There are some special residential ones with one socket that are controlled by Google Home or whatever it's called so I wouldn't count those as normal ones. I didn't see any with three sockets and I don't believe I've ever seen one in real-life.

Basically, you get multiples of two. If you need four sockets you buy two duplex outlets and get a four socket box to install them in and a four socket wall plate to cover them so they look like one unit even though it's two units side-by-side. (See Packard's pictures above.)


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## natkretep

meijin said:


> I see. So, if there were one single socket, two double sockets, and three triple sockets in your room, what noun would you use when saying "There are three _________s in my room"? I think AmE speakers would say "three outlets".


It would never occur to me to do it that way. I would only count the number of points where I could insert a plug into. So this is a wall on a room next door.



I would just say there are four sockets here, and it wouldn't occur to me to say that these are two double sockets placed side by side. I am of course speaking as a non-specialist. Electricians will probably be able to describe this more clearly.


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## meijin

Thank you both very much for the explanations. I actually don't know the proper Japanese term for the unit AmE speakers call "outlet". I think we just say, for example, "There are three places for plugs in my room. One is near the door, and two are below the windows". (And each has two or three sockets.)


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## zaffy

I guess these examples sound natural, right? 

BrE: Hey, my laptop battery is low. Where is the nearest socket?
AmE: Hey, my laptop battery is low. Where is the nearest outlet?

BrE: Hey, my laptop battery is low. Is there a socket around here?
AmE: Hey, my laptop battery is low. Is there an outlet around here?


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## kentix

That sounds right for AE. But it wouldn't always be named.

"Hey, my laptop battery is low. Is there somewhere I can plug (it) in?"


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## kentix

10 Things You Didn't Know About Outlets






#10 - Technically, it's called a receptacle (in the U.S., at least).

I think very few people know that, based on my own experience, and my own lack of awareness.


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## zaffy

kentix said:


> Very few people know that, based on my own experience, and my own lack of awareness.



I found this article.

_At the end of the day, the outlet vs socket debate isn’t that important. That is also true for the outlet vs receptacle argument. This is because so many people use these terms interchangeably and most electricians know what you mean regardless of the word you have chosen to use._


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## tipsy_desak

Hello! Reading the previous posts, I don't understand which term I should use having to talk about electrical service socket/outlet in a technical manual. Which term is most recognizable for a native English speaker regardless of where they come from? Which one is more "international", socket or outlet?
Thank you very much


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## JulianStuart

tipsy_desak said:


> Hello! Reading the previous posts, I don't understand which term I should use having to talk about electrical service socket/outlet in a technical manual. *Which term is most recognizable for a native English speaker regardless of where they come from?* Which one is more "international", socket or outlet?
> Thank you very much


There is no such word.  Reading the posts above makes that clear   For whom are you writing the English in the manual?


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## tipsy_desak

JulianStuart said:


> There is no such word.  Reading the posts above makes that clear   For whom are you writing the English in the manual?


For all the technicians and installers of traffic signal controllers in the world who speak English


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## JulianStuart

The general advice is to pick one "English" (AE or BE) and stick with it.  For words that may differ between them, add the other in brackets at the first mention of the word in the document.


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## Myridon

tipsy_desak said:


> traffic signal controllers


I don't know what that is, but it doesn't sound like something that you plug in to an outlet.


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## tipsy_desak

Myridon said:


> I don't know what that is, but it doesn't sound like something that you plug in to an outlet.


A traffic signal controller is an apparatus that controls traffic signals and it's mounted inside a cabinet. You are right it isn't something that you plug in an outlet, but inside the cabinet there's a rack and on it there's an electrical service socket with its own automatic switch. It is for the technicians who need it when do maintenance.


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## Myridon

It likely has a name that has nothing to do with everyday household outlets - power connection or something like that. We assumed you were talking about a technical manual for a household appliance.


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## tipsy_desak

to me it looks like the ones I have in my house...


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## Andygc

tipsy_desak said:


> For all the technicians and installers of traffic signal controllers in the world who speak English


"In this document the term _electrical service socket _is used for what may be known in the user's locality as a _power outlet_ or _power receptacle_."


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