What is the difference between 'prospective' and 'perspective'?

The words prospective and perspective are often confused by writers. But what is the difference?

Perspective means a view, vista, or outlook when used as a noun.

Prospective means likely or expected to happen or become when used as an adjective.

A good way to remember the difference is You can PERceive a PERspective.

Out of the two words, 'perspective' is the most common. It appears about four times more frequently than 'prospective'.

Perspective and prospective are easy to confuse because they look and sound similar. Here are their meanings:

Perspective is a noun. It means "a mental outlook or visibile scene, a vista, a way of looking at something."

Prospective is an adjective. It means "in the future, likely or expected."

Is the phrase 'prospective randomized trial comparing' or 'perspective randomized trial comparing'?

The correct expression is 'prospective randomized trial comparing'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

Should I use 'prospective randomized clinical trial' or 'perspective randomized clinical trial'?

The correct phrase is 'prospective randomized clinical trial'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

Should I use 'prospective randomized clinical trials' or 'perspective randomized clinical trials'?

You should use 'prospective randomized clinical trials'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

Which is right 'prospective randomized controlled trial' or 'perspective randomized controlled trial'?

The right expression is 'prospective randomized controlled trial'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

What's the correct phrase 'prospective randomized trials comparing' or 'perspective randomized trials comparing'?

The right phrase is 'prospective randomized trials comparing'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

Is the right expression 'from the perspective of' or 'from the prospective of'?

The correct phrase is 'from the perspective of'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

Which is correct 'the perspective of the' or 'the prospective of the'?

The correct expression is 'the perspective of the'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

Is the phrase 'this perspective , the' or 'this prospective , the'?

You should use 'this perspective , the'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

Is the correct phrase 'the perspective of a' or 'the prospective of a'?

You should use 'the perspective of a'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

What's the correct phrase ', from the perspective' or ', from the prospective'?

You should use ', from the perspective'. These phrases are often confused by writers.

Some synonyms of prospective are: potential, future , likely.

Some synonyms of perspective are: aspect, viewpoint, outlook, vista, way of thinking.

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The definitions in this article were adapted from Wiktionary and Dictionary.com.