Fog:
It is a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface which obscures or restricts visibility (reducing visibility below 1 km). Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud and is heavily influenced by nearby bodies of water, topography, wind conditions and even human activities. Fog forms when the difference between air temperature and dew point is generally less than 2.5 degree Celsius to 4 degree Fahrenheit.
Mist:
Mist is a cloud of tiny droplets of water suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface that limits visibility to a lesser extent than fog. It is most commonly seen where warm, moist air meets sudden cooling such as in exhaled air in the winter or when throwing water into the hot stove of a sauna. Mist usually occurs near the shores and is often associated with fog. Mist can be as high as mountain tops when extremes temperatures are low.
Differences:
| Basis | Fog | Mist |
|---|---|---|
| Definition (www.oxforddictionaries.com) |
A thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface which obscures or restricts visibility (to a greater extent than mist; strictly, reducing visibility to below 1 km) | A cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface that limits visibility (to a lesser extent than fog; strictly, with visibility remaining above 1 km) |
| Synonyms | Rain, vapor, steam, sprinkle, smoke, shower and becloud | |
| Antonyms | Cleanse, clarify, rainstorm, monsoon, purify and process | |
| Types | The types of fog:
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| Word origin | The word fog was originated in Mid-16th century: perhaps a back-formation from foggy. | The word mist was originated from Old English, of Germanic origin; from an Indo-European root shared by Greek omikhlē ‘mist, fog’. |
| Reduction of visibility | It reduces visibility to less than 1 km. | It reduces visibility to less than between 1 and 2 km. |
| Transparency | Fog is thicker than mist. | It is thinner than fog. |
| Droplets | Fog has smaller droplets in comparison to the mist. | Mist has larger droplets than fog. |
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