# issue vs problem



## Elle Paris

Nowadays, I never hear the word "problem". It is always "an issue". "I don't see/have an issue about towing the trailer." for example.
I would really like to know how long "issue" has been "in" and "problem" out?
Is it a passing fad?


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## owlman5

I hope so.


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## Spira

I interpret the use of issue for problem as an integral part of the movement (particularly US-based) to POSITIVIZE everything. We don't have problems anymore, we only have issues, or even better, challenges.


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## Itisamazing

My understanding is *problem *would be much bigger than *issue *at least in academic life.


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## Parla

owlman5 said:


> I hope so.



Second that!


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## Packard

My dentist says to me, "If you have any discomfort..."  And I reply, "Isn't 'pain' part of your lexicon anymore?"

In much the same way "issues" are less negative than "problems" (or as Spira says, "positivized").  

I would not make this to mean a matter of degree.  I think it is just putting a slant on the conversation.  For example a defense attorney might say:

*My client took issue with his refusal to pay alimony.*  Translation:  She shot her ex-husband between the eyes for being a cheap bastard.

To the jury "took issue" might sound better than "shot him between the eyes".  (Positivized--Thank you, Spira--but my spell checker does not agree).


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## Spira

You can write it POSITIVISE.


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## Elle Paris

So now when somebody looks at us strangely, can we say, "What's your issue?"


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## tomtombp

Elle Paris said:


> So now when somebody looks at us strangely, can we say, "What's your issue?"


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## Loob

I'm not sure what the problem issue is here.

_Problem_ is negative; _issue_ implies a solution may be found.  Why is that bad?


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## Elle Paris

Loob said:


> I'm not sure what the problem issue is here.
> 
> _Problem_ is negative; _issue_ implies a solution may be found. Why is that bad?


 
Perhaps not bad but boring because we seem to have chosen one in favor of the others... We used to solve problems, shoot trouble, and handle issues  (implying that they don't go away), didn't we? I always thought that an issue was a serious problem!

Then "an issue" is a big deal too isn't it? Don't we say interchangeably:
''Let's not make an issue/a big deal out of this little problem/snag.''?


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## Gabbydog

As a mental health counselor, I refuse to use the word issue with the people I counsel. I use problem or concern that way we keep the emotional quality to the work we are doing together.


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## zaffy

The cameraman is talking about a woman who came up to him and said she didn't like being filmed. He said "She's got an issue with being filmed."

Does "problem" work as well with no changes in that example? "She's got a problem with being filmed."


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## owlman5

zaffy said:


> Does "problem" work as well with no changes in that example? "She's got a problem with being filmed."


Yes. Whether you use _problem _or _issue, _the meaning is the same: _She doesn't want to be filmed._


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## zaffy

owlman5 said:


> Yes. Whether you use _problem _or _issue, _the meaning is the same: _She doesn't want to be filmed._


So, using "issue" instead of "problem" was called kind of "fad" in this thread. Does that mean a decade or so ago the man would have used "problem" in his utterance?


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## Packard

There are a huge number of entries when you google "issue vs. problem".  This one is fairly succinct.

Difference Between Issue and Problem | Comparison of Definition, Meaning and Usage



Main Difference – Issue vs Problem​
Issue and problem are somewhat similar words since they both refer to challenging situations or matters. The main difference between issue and problem is that *issue is an important topic or problem for debate or discussion whereas problem is a harmful and unwelcome matter or situation that needs to be dealt with.* Although issue and problem can be used interchangeably in some contexts, there is a clear demarcation between the two nouns. In this article, we’ll analyze the difference between issue and problem by looking at the definitions and examples of these two nouns.

issue vs. problem - Google Search


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## owlman5

zaffy said:


> So, using "issue" instead of "problem" was called kind of "fad". Does that mean a decade or so ago the man would have used "problem" in his utterance?


I am not sure exactly when I started hearing people use _issue _rather than _problem _in remarks like that one. At one time, however, _She's got an issue with being filmed _wasn't something that people said very often.


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## zaffy

Packard said:


> There are a huge number of entries when you google "issue vs. problem". This one is fairly succinct.


It says "an issue is an important topic or problem for discussion and debate" and that's what coursebooks teach. But his use of "issue" contradicts it and makes non-natives confused.


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## MedievalElf

My eldest son says 'that's the problem' as a sentence summary pretty much every day. Since he is only 10, I am pretty sure 'problem' isn't going anywhere.
Is the use of issue considered an AE development?


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## zaffy

MedievalElf said:


> I am pretty sure 'problem' isn't going anywhere.


So you would have use "problem" in that filming example in BE, right?


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## owlman5

zaffy said:


> But his use of "issue" contradicts it and makes non-natives confused.


The distinction in the source that Packard quoted seems reasonable. Remember, however, that native speakers sometimes use words in ways that haven't been approved by various language authorities. In that speaker's sentence, _issue _is a synonym for _problem. _I hear similar uses of _issue_ frequently - too frequently, in my opinion.



MedievalElf said:


> Is the use of issue considered an AE development?


I don't know. But _issue _pops up a lot in people's comments about things that they don't like for one reason or another.


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## MedievalElf

I think that I agree that 'problem' can be combative;
'What's your problem?' being the prime example, though when I was a kid we said 'what you skenning at?'
If I was worried about escalating a tense situation I would probably choose 'issue' but my natural preference is for problem.


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## Elle Paris

zaffy said:


> The cameraman is talking about a woman who came up to him and said she didn't like being filmed. He said "She's got an issue with being filmed."
> 
> Does "problem" work as well with no changes in that example? "She's got a problem with being filmed."
> 
> View attachment 62248


I'd say, ''I've got a problem because this lady has an issue with being filmed.''


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## Packard

There is no problem getting her filmed.  Aim the camera and start the recording.

There is an issue getting her on film.  The issue might be a privacy issue, or she might be self-conscious, or she might not want her spouse to know where she has been.  Those are "issues".  The issues might create problems for her if she is filmed.

I think I am saying the same thing that Elle Paris said but taking a lot longer to make my point.  So I will stop here.


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## zaffy

As for medical conditions, we might use "issue" as well, right? Do you like it?

_It looks like he has an __issue__ with his lower hamstring behind the knee; we think it might be a neural thing but we'll check in the morning to see if it's settled down. Apart from Danny of course, he's the only player in doubt at this stage._


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## Elle Paris

zaffy said:


> As for medical conditions, we might use "issue" as well, right? Do you like it?
> 
> _It looks like he has an __issue__ with his lower hamstring behind the knee; we think it might be a neural thing but we'll check in the morning to see if it's settled down. Apart from Danny of course, he's the only player in doubt at this stage._


This is a nice opportunity to see if we can make a difference show up: It looks like there is an issue with our key player's lower hamstring behind the knee; we'll check in the morning to see if it has settled down. If it hasn't, we have a real problem.


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## Roxxxannne

zaffy said:


> So, using "issue" instead of "problem" was called kind of "fad" in this thread. Does that mean a decade or so ago the man would have used "problem" in his utterance?


I think he would have said 'issue' a decade ago.  <calculation .... 2022-15 = 2007>  I am sure I heard college students say it 15 years ago.


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## Elle Paris

Roxxxannne said:


> I think he would have said 'issue' a decade ago.  <calculation .... 2022-15 = 2007>  I am sure I heard college students say it 15 years ago.


Yes, I agree. I left to Europe as an English teacher in 1969 when nobody said "issue" and when I came back for good in 2006 "issue" was frequently used. I guess when I came back to visit, I was either visiting elderly folks or being a tour guide for friends and family; in either case, luckily, I never came across any problems to have issue with. ;-)


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## Andygc

zaffy said:


> As for medical conditions, we might use "issue" as well, right? Do you like it?
> 
> _It looks like he has an __issue__ with his lower hamstring behind the knee_


No. Not in the slightest. He has a problem. I am wearing my medical hat today.


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## Elle Paris

Andygc said:


> No. Not in the slightest. He has a problem. I am wearing my medical hat today.


So, my perception of the nuances would be tainted by American English? > "This is a nice opportunity to see if we can make a difference show up: It looks like there is an issue with our key player's lower hamstring behind the knee; we'll check in the morning to see if it has settled down. If it hasn't, we have a real problem."


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## sound shift

Andygc said:


> No. Not in the slightest. He has a problem. I am wearing my medical hat today.


I haven't got a medical hat, only a general/layman's/waffle/whatever hat, but I would say "problem" there too.


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## Andygc

Elle Paris said:


> It looks like there is an issue with our key player's lower hamstring behind the knee


It doesn't matter whatever else is said around this. He still has a _problem_, not an _issue_.

[RANT] 
I find it ridiculous that the word _issue _is increasingly being used to mean _problem_. I don't have an _issue _with my drains when the sewer becomes blocked by a fatberg, and the men from the water company don't fix the _issue _with their jetting tools. If a parachutist's parachute fails to open, I doubt he thinks that he has an _issue_. Our prime minister doesn't have a political _issue _with boozy parties and Covid-19 lockdowns, he has a _problem_. And so on ... But no doubt the language will continue to get poorer when such usage is so often promoted by the news media. I despair of the BBC's failure to use competent editors on its news website - a place rife with _issues_ - although I consider vocabulary and grammar errors to be their _problems_. 
[/RANT]


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## zaffy

Andygc said:


> No. Not in the slightest. He has a problem. I am wearing my medical hat today.





sound shift said:


> I haven't got a medical hat, only a general/layman's/waffle/whatever hat, but I would say "problem" there too.


That's why I asked. It sounded odd to me too. I know "issue" is way more often used in AE, but that article is British.

And how about this scenario? A woman was walking her dog. It stopped in front of a statue and started barking at it like at a human. A passerby (Canadian) witnessed it and said. "Looks like her dog's got an issue with that monument."
Do you like "issue" there?


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## Andygc

zaffy said:


> Do you like "issue" there?


If you are asking me, please re-read my previous post from [RANT] to [/RANT].


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## sound shift

zaffy said:


> And how about this scenario? A woman was walking her dog. It stopped in front of a monument and started barking at it like at a human. A passerby (Canadian) witnessed it and said. "Looks like her dog's got an issue with that monument."
> Do you like "issue" there?


People have the right to say or write what they like, but I wouldn't have used "issue" there, and I might not have used "problem", either.


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## Roxxxannne

I don't mind 'issue' if the context is, say, one incident of a small dog barking at a large statue of a man on horseback holding two swords over his head.  From the point of view of the Canadian obsever, it's only an issue.  If the dog barks at every statue they see, then it's a problem for the owner.

To me,'issue' and 'problem' are different, and they both have their uses. 'Issue' can be less serious, 'problem' more so.


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## zaffy

Is this is set phrase? Can't I use "problem"?


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## Roxxxannne

It's definitely a set phrase -- so set that it might as well be one word: makeanissue.   To me, replacing 'issue' with 'problem' changes the nuance.   If you want to use the word 'problem,' you'd say something like 'don't create a problem out of nothing' or 'don't make this into a big problem.'


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## Andygc

It's a set phrase, but I could point out that a definition that uses the word it is defining to make the definition is a poor definition. Where did you find it?

You could use "problem" in the definition - _to exaggerate a minor problem or difficulty in a way that makes it seem like a major one_.


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## zaffy

Andygc said:


> Where did you find it?


make an issue out of something


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## zaffy

I guess the second example works much better when "issue" is modified with an adjective, right?

A: What's *your issue* with your father?
B: He keeps criticising and yelling at me.

A: What's *your main issue* with your father?
B: He keeps criticising and yelling at me.


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## Packard

An *issue* is something that is contentious and may* result in a burden*.
_
I have an *issue* with Tom's work attitude.  I'm afraid it might be affecting his judgement._

A *problem* *is* a burden. 

_Commercial lessors that are leasing aircraft to Russian airliners have a *problem*.  They are not getting paid and they have no way to reclaim their aircraft. _


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## Elle Paris

zaffy said:


> That's why I asked. It sounded odd to me too. I know "issue" is way more often used in AE, but that article is British.
> 
> And how about this scenario? A woman was walking her dog. It stopped in front of a statue and started barking at it like at a human. A passerby (Canadian) witnessed it and said. "Looks like her dog's got an issue with that monument."
> Do you like "issue" there?


No I wouldn't say that, but some people might... or they might say "Looks like the dog has an issue with the statue."  I'd say; "Looks like the dog doesn't like statues that give him dirty looks." but that's just me.


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