The difference between skilled and skillful

Question

What is the difference between skilled and skillful (skilful in British spelling)? How are they used?

Answer

Great question! These words are very close, but there is a difference. The difference mainly concerns how a person’s skills were acquired. Let’s look at some examples.

In the sentence below, the words skilled and skillful are almost interchangeable. With either word, the sentence tells us that the surgeon is an expert at what she does. However, the word skilled adds a slight implication that the surgeon has reached this level of expertise through years of training and practice, whereas the word skillful doesn’t imply anything about her experience.

• She is a skilled/skillful surgeon.

Skilled is especially appropriate when referring to physical laborers and workers. In the two sentences below, skilled again suggests that the workers are experienced and trained, and most native speakers would not use skillful in these contexts.

• The positions at the factory are for skilled workers only.
• He is a skilled carpenter.

In contrast, in this sentence about a lawyer, skillful means expert and effective, without suggesting anything about the lawyer’s training. The lawyer’s skill may reflect his interpersonal skills more than his background.

• The lawyer’s skillful handling helped his client feel relaxed and comfortable.

In sum, skilled means having lots of training/experience and it is the best word to use when talking about workers and laborers. Skillful means expert at a particular job, but not necessarily because of training or experience.

I hope this helps.