Geek vs. Nerd

[Kyoji]

Maybe I'm just blind to the difference because I'm one or the other, but really, why two words for essentially the same thing?

 

[iza]

both are for intellegent people... Nerd's get paid, and Geeks get paid, but only one species gets laid.

 

[mthrnite]

According to a hyper-relevant and insanely accurate test I found on the internets, I am a geek...
.. so geeks are evidently more better..
.. or I question the validity of the test.

..but I think geeks are more pop-culture savvy, whereas nerds are more calculusy.

..actually, upon further self-reflection, I consider myself a hack.

"Hack it out!" That's my motto.

 

[Sinkhead]

There are many confused lay people out there in today's modern world who are unhappily unaware of the difference between geeks and nerds. Even more sadly, there are also many geeks and nerds who do not know of the true nature of their own stereotype. This guide can be used to differenciate quickly and accurately between these two social classes.

When dealing with geeks and nerds, it is often handy to have a copy of the Jargon File available. The Jargon File is an extremely useful lexicon of geeky and nerdy terms, with easy to read explainations. The 'File has been the basis for much of the formal definitions put down in this document.

You should take care to not confuse the social classes geek and nerd with the entries of the same name on the Scale of Computer Proficiency. I guess will have to document that, one day as well.

If you have any suggesions as to how this document could be improved, please let me know. For the record, I call myself a geek.
Geeks

From the Jargon File entry for "geek":

"A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance. Geeks usually have a strong case of neophilia. Most geeks are adept with computers and treat hacker as a term of respect, but not all are hackers themselves - and some who are in fact hackers normally call themselves geeks anyway, because they (quite properly) regard `hacker' as a label that should be bestowed by others rather than self-assumed."
Nerds

From the Jargon File entry for "nerd":

"Pejorative applied to anyone with an above-average IQ and few gifts at small talk and ordinary social rituals."

- Sam

 

[Strokemouth]

It depends on the time period you are referring to. When I was a kid, geek/nerd/dork were essentially the same thing. However, today they hold different connotations. To me, a nerd is an intellectual that is typically less-than social. A geek is one who is more of an intellectual in a "hip" way. They are often tech-savvy and can also be a nerd. They are often very social.

I, personally, have traits of both groups, but I like to put myself into my own classification: awesome.

 

[iza]

then whats a dweeb?

 

[skullstatue]

I don't like people, but if people mess with me they usually pay for it. I like videogames and computers but I also go to the gym a couple hours a day. I don't know what I am, but I would take it as an insult if someone called me a geek or a nerd.

 

[iza]

nerd...

 

[Sinkhead]

I took this test on the interwebs.

Modern, Cool Nerd
52 % Nerd, 69% Geek, 47% Dork
For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd.

Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)!

Congratulations!

- Sam
Yay!

 

[sipoon]

didn't the word geek originated from the circus sideshow people that would bite the head off live chickens ? those guys were called geeks, i think calling someone a geek is to be calling someone socially inept...

I reckon nerds are those brain boxes that has an extreme interest in something or rather... i.e maths or i dunno...rocks...

 

[mthrnite]

Ok Cu.. I mean Sam... My scores:

Pure Geek
47 % Nerd, 52% Geek, 30% Dork

You scored better than half in Geek, earning you the title of: Pure Geek.

It's not that you're a school junkie, like the nerd, and you don't really stand out in a crowd, like the dork, you just have some interests that aren't quite mainstream. Perhaps it's anime, perhaps it's computers, perhaps it's bottlecaps, perhaps it's all of those and more. Your interests take you to events and gatherings that are filled with people you find unusual and beyond-the-pale, but you don't quite consider yourself "of that crowd." Instead, you consider yourself to be fairly normal.

 

[iza]

didn't the word geek originated from the circus sideshow people that would bite the head off live chickens ? those guys were called geeks, i think calling someone a geek is to be calling someone socially inept...

I reckon nerds are those brain boxes that has an extreme interest in something or rather... i.e maths or i dunno...rocks...

this is true, i used to have a shirt that said that, it was for some ISP, about 6-7 yrs back.

 

[[M]artin]

I don't know the difference, all I know is that they're both spelled funny.

 

[juggernaut911]

Bill Gates = GNERWEEB

 

[dice]

over in london we use the word "neek" nowadays, nerd + geek

 

[Psyfira]

Joe Normal
34 % Nerd, 43% Geek, 21% Dork
This is not to say that you don't have some Nerd, Geek or Dork inside of you--we all do, and you can see the percentages you have right above. This is just to say that none of those qualities stand out so much as to define you. Sure, you enjoy an episode of Star Trek now and again, and yeah, you kinda enjoyed a few classes back in the day. And, once in a while, you stumble while walking down the street even though there was nothing there to cause you to trip. But, for the most part, you look and act fairly typically, and aren't much of an outcast. I'd say there's a fair chance someone asked you to take this test. In any event, fairly normal.

You hear that? I'm normal!!!

(I think it's broken)

 

[Dirtie]

Joe Normal
26 % Nerd, 8% Geek, 17% Dork
(explanation same as psyfira)

 

[tama_mog]

Joe Normal
43 % Nerd, 34% Geek, 4% Dork

Cool test I guess. I'd think I'm nerdier than that (least that's what my fiance tells me).

 

[Kyoji]

Pure Nerd
60 % Nerd, 43% Geek, 39% Dork
For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.

The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.

Congratulations!

:'(

 

[Verocity]

Joe Normal
17 % Nerd, 30% Geek, 13% Dork
For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored less than half in all three, earning you the title of: Joe Normal.

This is not to say that you don't have some Nerd, Geek or Dork inside of you--we all do, and you can see the percentages you have right above. This is just to say that none of those qualities stand out so much as to define you. Sure, you enjoy an episode of Star Trek now and again, and yeah, you kinda enjoyed a few classes back in the day. And, once in a while, you stumble while walking down the street even though there was nothing there to cause you to trip. But, for the most part, you look and act fairly typically, and aren't much of an outcast.

I'd say there's a fair chance someone asked you to take this test. In any event, fairly normal.

Congratulations!

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

  You scored higher than 99% on nerdiness

  You scored higher than 99% on geekosity

  You scored higher than 99% on dork points