Farther vs. Further

Is there any difference between farther and further? Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary notes in a usage discussion that as an adverb, farther and further are used indiscriminately when literal or figurative distance is involved:
“How much farther do we have to go?”
“It’s just a mile further.”
“How much further do you want to take this argument?”
“I’ve taken it farther than I want to already.”


However, in adjectival form, a distinction has developed regarding use in these senses:

“My house is the farther of the two.”
“She needs no further introduction.”


But dictionaries are descriptive; they describe not how people should use language, but how they do use it. However, language maven (and therefore prescriptive) Bryan A. Garner, in Garner’s Modern English Usage, advises, “In the best usage, farther refers to physical distances, further to figurative distances,” and I agree: Popular usage demonstrates just that — popular usage — and the careful writer maintains distinctions that enrich the language. (Write eager when you mean eager, for example, and anxious when you mean anxious.)

Farthest and furthest, by extension, should maintain the same distinct meanings; use these forms in favor of the burdensome farthermost and furthermost. Furthering and furtherance are interchangeable noun forms that serve as synonyms for promotion or advocacy; there is no equivalent noun form for farther.

Further is also employed as a modifier, as in

“Further, I see no reason to delay the proceedings”

Furthermore is a variant. Farther, however, does not fit this role.

Farther and further both mean at a greater distance, and they are used interchangeably in this sense. In the United States, though, farther is more often used to refer to physical distances, and further more often refers to figurative and nonphysical distances. For example, we might say that one mountain is farther away than another, while we might say that the price of a stock (a nonphysical thing) fell further today than yesterday. This is not a rule, however, and further is often used for physical distances. The distinction does not exist in the U.K. and elsewhere in the (British) Commonwealth of Nations, where further is preferred for all senses of the word and farther is rare.


In Middle English, the word for at a greater distance was spelled several ways, including ferder, farthere, ferdre, and forther. Farther and further emerged as the prevalent spellings by the 16th century, and for several hundred years they shared their main definitions. In modern usage, however, they have diverged in meaning.

Further has senses it does not share with farther. It works as an adjective meaning additional—e.g., “I have no further questions.” It works as an adverb meaning additionally—e.g., “He said he did not spend the money, and stated further that he had never even received it.” And it works as a verb meaning to advance (something)—e.g., “This website is meant to further understanding of 21st-century English.” Farther is not used in these ways.


There are some examples here. Please, read them and try to understand.
Farther south, in Central Otago, there are some even harsher mountains … [Telegraph]


Making people park a little farther away will actually increase their exposure to danger, he added. [Red Wing Republican Eagle]

Pyzik said the testing cells would be located farther from the school than initially proposed. [Chicago Tribune]

The Dollar is extending its gains against the Euro. EUR/USD fell further to 1.3430, hitting a fresh daily low. [NASDAQ]


So the mechanism that was initially meant to be protective can become the source of further damage. [Indy Posted]

Reliable measurements of the Sun’s magnetic field are only available from 1900 onwards, so researchers used computer simulations for further back in time. [Daily Mail]