act and routine share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. act means “perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)”. routine means “an unvarying or habitual method or procedure”. act is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈækt/
1.v.perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
“think before you act”
2.v.behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
“You should act like an adult”
3.v.play a role or part
“Gielgud played Hamlet”
/ɹuˈtin/
1.n.an unvarying or habitual method or procedure
2.n.a short performance that is part of a longer program
“he did his act three times every evening”
3.n.a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program
| act | routine | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈækt/ | /ɹuˈtin/ |
| Said | akt | roo-TEEN |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 3 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | noun, adjective |
| Senses | 15 | 4 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | move | modus operandi |
Full entry for act · Full entry for routine · More comparisons