What’s the difference between “barter” and “haggle”?
A surprising number of native English speakers confuse these two words. They might say, for example: “I like to go to the market and barter”, when they really mean: “I like to go to the market and haggle”.
To barter means to exchange one thing (or service) for another. Instead of giving you money for a cup of tea, I might give you a sandwich. Or if you wash my car, I might tidy your garden.
To haggle means to negotiate (or argue) to get something for less money. For example, a mobile phone might cost £150, but if I haggle, I might be able to persuade the seller to let me have it for £130.
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