Revenue is income — the money a business or government takes in. Revenge is harm done in return for a wrong. Annual revenue; an act of revenge. Both begin reven-; one returns money, the other returns harm.
The core difference
- revenue — total income before costs; the income of a state. Revenue rose 8%, tax revenue, the Revenue (the tax authority).
- revenge — retaliation for a wrong; the desire for it. Take revenge, out of revenge, revenge is a dish best served cold.
The tell
Revenue is literally "what comes back" — money returning. Revenge is "to avenge again" — harm returning. The endings sort them: -ue like value and venue for the money; -ge like avenge for the grudge. Companies report one and characters in tragedies pursue the other.
In use
- revenue — Subscription revenue now exceeds advertising. The tax raises revenue for schools.
- revenge — He swore revenge on the men who ruined him. The sequel is a revenge story.
Common slips
- annual revenge → annual revenue
- he took his revenue on them → he took his revenge on them
Revenue returns money; revenge returns harm.
Where the words come from
Revenue is from French revenu, "returned", the past participle of revenir, "to come back" — income is what comes back to you. Revenge is from Old French revengier, from Latin re- + vindicare "to avenge, to claim" — the same root as vindicate and vengeance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between revenue and profit?
Revenue is all the money taken in; profit is what remains after costs.
What is the difference between revenge and vengeance?
Very little — vengeance is the more formal and literary word. Both come from Latin vindicare.
What does "the Revenue" mean in Britain?
The tax authority — historically the Inland Revenue, now HM Revenue and Customs.