amount and sum share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. amount means “a quantity of money”. sum means “a quantity of money”. amount is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/əˈmaʊnt/
1.n.a quantity of money
“he borrowed a large sum”
2.n.the relative magnitude of something with reference to a criterion
“an adequate amount of food for four people”
3.n.how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify
/ˈsʌm/
1.n.a quantity of money
“he borrowed a large sum”
2.n.a quantity obtained by the addition of a group of numbers
3.n.the final aggregate
“the sum of all our troubles did not equal the misery they suffered”
| amount | sum | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /əˈmaʊnt/ | /ˈsʌm/ |
| Said | uh-MOWNT | suhm |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Letters | 6 | 3 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Senses | 7 | 8 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | sum, sum of money, amount of money | sum of money, amount, amount of money |
Full entry for amount · Full entry for sum · More comparisons