distress and hurt share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. distress means “psychological suffering”. hurt means “be the source of pain”. hurt is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/dɪˈstɹɛs/
1.n.psychological suffering
“the death of his wife caused him great distress”
2.n.a state of adversity (danger or affliction or need)
“a ship in distress”
3.n.extreme physical pain
“the patient appeared to be in distress”
/ˈhɝt/
1.v.be the source of pain
2.v.give trouble or pain to
“This exercise will hurt your back”
3.v.cause emotional anguish or make miserable
“It pains me to see my children not being taught well in school”
| distress | hurt | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /dɪˈstɹɛs/ | /ˈhɝt/ |
| Said | di-STRES | hurt |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Letters | 8 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | verb, noun, adjective |
| Senses | 6 | 14 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | hurt, suffering | ache, smart |
Full entry for distress · Full entry for hurt · More comparisons