SAN FRANCISCO, 3:44 PM, FRI JUL 4 | 13 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@valleywag.com | RSS

The difference between a geek and a nerd

Geek Nerd DorkI think I realized that a dork was the untouchable of the geek caste system, but the subtle differences in status between geek and nerd are beyond me. Militant Geek explains that geeks are in fact superior to nerds, and provides a handy table for spotting the one type from the other. Disagree? The comments are open.

9:40 AM on Fri Dec 22 2006
By Nick Denton
1,912 views
6 comments

Comments

  • Image of rex rex at 10:08 AM on 12/22/06 *

    Dorks take screengrabs of html tables. (j/k)

  • There is a quiz to identify which one you are. I think the table above has nerd and geek switched. Dorks are socially awkward, geeks are obsessed with the arcane things they love, nerds are just good at what they do (which usually involves the brain).

    http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=99350309900467388...

  • Image of jfruh jfruh at 10:30 AM on 12/22/06 *

    They seem to be implying that geeks are actually techies, while nerds are just high-functioning participants in nerd culture (i.e sci-fi, D&D).

    My take of how the terms are generally used in conversation is that a geek is someone who is really interested to the point of obession about one subject, a nerd is someone who is likes to learn stuff (esp. science/tech stuff and ancillary cultural ephemera) for its own sake, and a dork is someone who is socially awkward. The categories are not mutually exclusive.

  • To paraphrase Fear of the Black Hat:

    "A nerd, well, a nerd has sex with everybody, but a geek, a geek has sex with everybody but you."

  • I think there's an easier way to separate the group.
    Geek - tech smart, socially adept
    Nerd - tech smart, socially inept
    Dork - tech inept, socially inept

    Anyone want to take a crack at what dweeb means?

  • Bluetooth? Tech smart? In the same sentence? Seriosly?!

    Dweeb - the person that came up with that list.

Start a discussion:

Reply by Email

Login with your username and password below. Or comment on this post via email.