Can I say “fingers” when referring to toes?
In my native language, there is no word for toes. You just use the same word for both toes and fingers. In this context, I would say a human has 20 fingers.
Recently I've heard someone saying a human has 10 fingers (without saying it out loud but assuming that the other 10 are toes and not fingers).
Can I use fingers when referring to toes? Would saying that a human has 20 fingers make sense, in English?
word-usage word-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
aMJayaMJay
1185
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aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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add a comment |
In my native language, there is no word for toes. You just use the same word for both toes and fingers. In this context, I would say a human has 20 fingers.
Recently I've heard someone saying a human has 10 fingers (without saying it out loud but assuming that the other 10 are toes and not fingers).
Can I use fingers when referring to toes? Would saying that a human has 20 fingers make sense, in English?
word-usage word-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
aMJayaMJay
1185
New contributor
aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
A related term, Phalanges refers to the bones of the fingers or toes and could be useful depending on context.
– aslum
1 hour ago
2
In English it's even worse: humans have eight fingers and two thumbs :-)
– Aaron F
1 hour ago
Yep, we have a big toe, but no big finger.
– Strawberry
34 mins ago
1
Thumbs are fingers, but we rarely call them fingers, because the fact they oppose the other four fingers gives them special status that we call out by using the specific term "thumb".
– Monty Harder
12 mins ago
add a comment |
In my native language, there is no word for toes. You just use the same word for both toes and fingers. In this context, I would say a human has 20 fingers.
Recently I've heard someone saying a human has 10 fingers (without saying it out loud but assuming that the other 10 are toes and not fingers).
Can I use fingers when referring to toes? Would saying that a human has 20 fingers make sense, in English?
word-usage word-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
aMJayaMJay
1185
New contributor
aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
In my native language, there is no word for toes. You just use the same word for both toes and fingers. In this context, I would say a human has 20 fingers.
Recently I've heard someone saying a human has 10 fingers (without saying it out loud but assuming that the other 10 are toes and not fingers).
Can I use fingers when referring to toes? Would saying that a human has 20 fingers make sense, in English?
word-usage word-meaning
word-usage word-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
aMJayaMJay
1185
New contributor
aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
aMJayaMJay
1185
New contributor
aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
aMJay
asked 3 hours ago
aMJayaMJay
1185
New contributor
aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
aMJayaMJay
1185
asked 3 hours ago
aMJayaMJay
1185
1185
New contributor
aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
aMJay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
A related term, Phalanges refers to the bones of the fingers or toes and could be useful depending on context.
– aslum
1 hour ago
2
In English it's even worse: humans have eight fingers and two thumbs :-)
– Aaron F
1 hour ago
Yep, we have a big toe, but no big finger.
– Strawberry
34 mins ago
1
Thumbs are fingers, but we rarely call them fingers, because the fact they oppose the other four fingers gives them special status that we call out by using the specific term "thumb".
– Monty Harder
12 mins ago
add a comment |
A related term, Phalanges refers to the bones of the fingers or toes and could be useful depending on context.
– aslum
1 hour ago
2
In English it's even worse: humans have eight fingers and two thumbs :-)
– Aaron F
1 hour ago
Yep, we have a big toe, but no big finger.
– Strawberry
34 mins ago
1
Thumbs are fingers, but we rarely call them fingers, because the fact they oppose the other four fingers gives them special status that we call out by using the specific term "thumb".
– Monty Harder
12 mins ago
A related term, Phalanges refers to the bones of the fingers or toes and could be useful depending on context.
– aslum
1 hour ago
A related term, Phalanges refers to the bones of the fingers or toes and could be useful depending on context.
– aslum
1 hour ago
2
2
In English it's even worse: humans have eight fingers and two thumbs :-)
– Aaron F
1 hour ago
In English it's even worse: humans have eight fingers and two thumbs :-)
– Aaron F
1 hour ago
Yep, we have a big toe, but no big finger.
– Strawberry
34 mins ago
Yep, we have a big toe, but no big finger.
– Strawberry
34 mins ago
1
1
Thumbs are fingers, but we rarely call them fingers, because the fact they oppose the other four fingers gives them special status that we call out by using the specific term "thumb".
– Monty Harder
12 mins ago
Thumbs are fingers, but we rarely call them fingers, because the fact they oppose the other four fingers gives them special status that we call out by using the specific term "thumb".
– Monty Harder
12 mins ago
add a comment |
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
Nope. Fingers are only on the hand, except for figurative uses such as ladyfingers (a dessert). If you talk about the fingers on someone's foot, or a person with 20 fingers, unfortunately you'll just generate unsettling mental images. :)
However, we do have a separate word that covers both fingers and toes: digits. It registers as a slightly technical term, perhaps something your doctor would write in a report about an injury, but it would still be understood by most people. Some speakers might not realize that it can apply to toes, probably because of the influence of "finger".
There's also "appendages", which everyone will understand, but which is almost too general (see comments below) and sounds funny when used of regular human body parts.
answered 2 hours ago
Luke SawczakLuke Sawczak
5,077924
1
doesn't "appendage" apply to anything that protrudes from the body? Entire limbs, or even genitalia, flabs and warts?
– Wilson
2 hours ago
1
@Wilson Not quite as broad as flabs and warts, but the rest yes. That's why I said it was more general -- meaning unsuitable general. I'll add that in.
– Luke Sawczak
2 hours ago
1
Just for fun, Ladies' fingers is also a name for a vegetable, otherwise known as Okra.
– Ruadhan2300
1 hour ago
Some people also call them phalanges, though properly that's the bones of the fingers and toes - and there's more than one such bone to each digit.
– SamBC
10 mins ago
add a comment |
Toes are not fingers. The general term for fingers and toes is digits. We have twenty digits: ten fingers and ten toes. This differs from e.g. French, where the toes are called 'doigts de pied' ('fingers of the foot').
Toe
Digit
answered 2 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
1
Even in Italian, we say the equivalent of what French uses. I would say that dita (in Italian) and doigts (in French) are equivalent to English digits, rather than fingers. It's just that we don't have a more specific word for hand digits even if in some contexts, dita alone could be taken as meaning fingers.
– kiamlaluno
2 hours ago
Note that French does also oppose orteils to an unqualified doigts.
– Luke Sawczak
1 hour ago
Strictly speaking, in english we have ten toes, 8 fingers and two thumbs. but thumbs usually get counted as fingers in most situations.
– Ruadhan2300
58 mins ago
@Ruadhan2300 Not true. The thumb is counted as a finger; you say "your thumbs and your other fingers", not "your thumbs and your fingers." And nobody would claim that the sentence "You have ten fingers" is false.
– Luke Sawczak
7 mins ago
add a comment |
No, the correct term to use in your case would be digits. This means both fingers and toes.
edited 2 hours ago
kiamlaluno
15.8k2577154
answered 2 hours ago
Mike BrockingtonMike Brockington
1744
add a comment |
You could refer to toes as fingers as a metaphor if you were describing someone with uncommon dexterity in their toes.
- The crowd was amazed when the escape artist kicked off his shoes and
his newly exposed fingers untied the knot.
If you mean the toes themselves, then describing them as fingers would be wrong, and confusing.
answered 30 mins ago
cmmcmm
1012
add a comment |
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4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
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votes
active
oldest
votes
Nope. Fingers are only on the hand, except for figurative uses such as ladyfingers (a dessert). If you talk about the fingers on someone's foot, or a person with 20 fingers, unfortunately you'll just generate unsettling mental images. :)
However, we do have a separate word that covers both fingers and toes: digits. It registers as a slightly technical term, perhaps something your doctor would write in a report about an injury, but it would still be understood by most people. Some speakers might not realize that it can apply to toes, probably because of the influence of "finger".
There's also "appendages", which everyone will understand, but which is almost too general (see comments below) and sounds funny when used of regular human body parts.
answered 2 hours ago
Luke SawczakLuke Sawczak
5,077924
1
doesn't "appendage" apply to anything that protrudes from the body? Entire limbs, or even genitalia, flabs and warts?
– Wilson
2 hours ago
1
@Wilson Not quite as broad as flabs and warts, but the rest yes. That's why I said it was more general -- meaning unsuitable general. I'll add that in.
– Luke Sawczak
2 hours ago
1
Just for fun, Ladies' fingers is also a name for a vegetable, otherwise known as Okra.
– Ruadhan2300
1 hour ago
Some people also call them phalanges, though properly that's the bones of the fingers and toes - and there's more than one such bone to each digit.
– SamBC
10 mins ago
add a comment |
Nope. Fingers are only on the hand, except for figurative uses such as ladyfingers (a dessert). If you talk about the fingers on someone's foot, or a person with 20 fingers, unfortunately you'll just generate unsettling mental images. :)
However, we do have a separate word that covers both fingers and toes: digits. It registers as a slightly technical term, perhaps something your doctor would write in a report about an injury, but it would still be understood by most people. Some speakers might not realize that it can apply to toes, probably because of the influence of "finger".
There's also "appendages", which everyone will understand, but which is almost too general (see comments below) and sounds funny when used of regular human body parts.
answered 2 hours ago
Luke SawczakLuke Sawczak
5,077924
1
doesn't "appendage" apply to anything that protrudes from the body? Entire limbs, or even genitalia, flabs and warts?
– Wilson
2 hours ago
1
@Wilson Not quite as broad as flabs and warts, but the rest yes. That's why I said it was more general -- meaning unsuitable general. I'll add that in.
– Luke Sawczak
2 hours ago
1
Just for fun, Ladies' fingers is also a name for a vegetable, otherwise known as Okra.
– Ruadhan2300
1 hour ago
Some people also call them phalanges, though properly that's the bones of the fingers and toes - and there's more than one such bone to each digit.
– SamBC
10 mins ago
add a comment |
Nope. Fingers are only on the hand, except for figurative uses such as ladyfingers (a dessert). If you talk about the fingers on someone's foot, or a person with 20 fingers, unfortunately you'll just generate unsettling mental images. :)
However, we do have a separate word that covers both fingers and toes: digits. It registers as a slightly technical term, perhaps something your doctor would write in a report about an injury, but it would still be understood by most people. Some speakers might not realize that it can apply to toes, probably because of the influence of "finger".
There's also "appendages", which everyone will understand, but which is almost too general (see comments below) and sounds funny when used of regular human body parts.
answered 2 hours ago
Luke SawczakLuke Sawczak
5,077924
Nope. Fingers are only on the hand, except for figurative uses such as ladyfingers (a dessert). If you talk about the fingers on someone's foot, or a person with 20 fingers, unfortunately you'll just generate unsettling mental images. :)
However, we do have a separate word that covers both fingers and toes: digits. It registers as a slightly technical term, perhaps something your doctor would write in a report about an injury, but it would still be understood by most people. Some speakers might not realize that it can apply to toes, probably because of the influence of "finger".
There's also "appendages", which everyone will understand, but which is almost too general (see comments below) and sounds funny when used of regular human body parts.
answered 2 hours ago
Luke SawczakLuke Sawczak
5,077924
edited 2 hours ago
answered 2 hours ago
Luke SawczakLuke Sawczak
5,077924
answered 2 hours ago
Luke SawczakLuke Sawczak
5,077924
answered 2 hours ago
Luke SawczakLuke Sawczak
5,077924
5,077924
1
doesn't "appendage" apply to anything that protrudes from the body? Entire limbs, or even genitalia, flabs and warts?
– Wilson
2 hours ago
1
@Wilson Not quite as broad as flabs and warts, but the rest yes. That's why I said it was more general -- meaning unsuitable general. I'll add that in.
– Luke Sawczak
2 hours ago
1
Just for fun, Ladies' fingers is also a name for a vegetable, otherwise known as Okra.
– Ruadhan2300
1 hour ago
Some people also call them phalanges, though properly that's the bones of the fingers and toes - and there's more than one such bone to each digit.
– SamBC
10 mins ago
add a comment |
1
doesn't "appendage" apply to anything that protrudes from the body? Entire limbs, or even genitalia, flabs and warts?
– Wilson
2 hours ago
1
@Wilson Not quite as broad as flabs and warts, but the rest yes. That's why I said it was more general -- meaning unsuitable general. I'll add that in.
– Luke Sawczak
2 hours ago
1
Just for fun, Ladies' fingers is also a name for a vegetable, otherwise known as Okra.
– Ruadhan2300
1 hour ago
Some people also call them phalanges, though properly that's the bones of the fingers and toes - and there's more than one such bone to each digit.
– SamBC
10 mins ago
1
1
doesn't "appendage" apply to anything that protrudes from the body? Entire limbs, or even genitalia, flabs and warts?
– Wilson
2 hours ago
doesn't "appendage" apply to anything that protrudes from the body? Entire limbs, or even genitalia, flabs and warts?
– Wilson
2 hours ago
1
1
@Wilson Not quite as broad as flabs and warts, but the rest yes. That's why I said it was more general -- meaning unsuitable general. I'll add that in.
– Luke Sawczak
2 hours ago
@Wilson Not quite as broad as flabs and warts, but the rest yes. That's why I said it was more general -- meaning unsuitable general. I'll add that in.
– Luke Sawczak
2 hours ago
1
1
Just for fun, Ladies' fingers is also a name for a vegetable, otherwise known as Okra.
– Ruadhan2300
1 hour ago
Just for fun, Ladies' fingers is also a name for a vegetable, otherwise known as Okra.
– Ruadhan2300
1 hour ago
Some people also call them phalanges, though properly that's the bones of the fingers and toes - and there's more than one such bone to each digit.
– SamBC
10 mins ago
Some people also call them phalanges, though properly that's the bones of the fingers and toes - and there's more than one such bone to each digit.
– SamBC
10 mins ago
add a comment |
Toes are not fingers. The general term for fingers and toes is digits. We have twenty digits: ten fingers and ten toes. This differs from e.g. French, where the toes are called 'doigts de pied' ('fingers of the foot').
Toe
Digit
answered 2 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
1
Even in Italian, we say the equivalent of what French uses. I would say that dita (in Italian) and doigts (in French) are equivalent to English digits, rather than fingers. It's just that we don't have a more specific word for hand digits even if in some contexts, dita alone could be taken as meaning fingers.
– kiamlaluno
2 hours ago
Note that French does also oppose orteils to an unqualified doigts.
– Luke Sawczak
1 hour ago
Strictly speaking, in english we have ten toes, 8 fingers and two thumbs. but thumbs usually get counted as fingers in most situations.
– Ruadhan2300
58 mins ago
@Ruadhan2300 Not true. The thumb is counted as a finger; you say "your thumbs and your other fingers", not "your thumbs and your fingers." And nobody would claim that the sentence "You have ten fingers" is false.
– Luke Sawczak
7 mins ago
add a comment |
Toes are not fingers. The general term for fingers and toes is digits. We have twenty digits: ten fingers and ten toes. This differs from e.g. French, where the toes are called 'doigts de pied' ('fingers of the foot').
Toe
Digit
answered 2 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
1
Even in Italian, we say the equivalent of what French uses. I would say that dita (in Italian) and doigts (in French) are equivalent to English digits, rather than fingers. It's just that we don't have a more specific word for hand digits even if in some contexts, dita alone could be taken as meaning fingers.
– kiamlaluno
2 hours ago
Note that French does also oppose orteils to an unqualified doigts.
– Luke Sawczak
1 hour ago
Strictly speaking, in english we have ten toes, 8 fingers and two thumbs. but thumbs usually get counted as fingers in most situations.
– Ruadhan2300
58 mins ago
@Ruadhan2300 Not true. The thumb is counted as a finger; you say "your thumbs and your other fingers", not "your thumbs and your fingers." And nobody would claim that the sentence "You have ten fingers" is false.
– Luke Sawczak
7 mins ago
add a comment |
Toes are not fingers. The general term for fingers and toes is digits. We have twenty digits: ten fingers and ten toes. This differs from e.g. French, where the toes are called 'doigts de pied' ('fingers of the foot').
Toe
Digit
answered 2 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
Toes are not fingers. The general term for fingers and toes is digits. We have twenty digits: ten fingers and ten toes. This differs from e.g. French, where the toes are called 'doigts de pied' ('fingers of the foot').
Toe
Digit
answered 2 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
answered 2 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
answered 2 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
answered 2 hours ago
Michael HarveyMichael Harvey
16.8k11837
16.8k11837
1
Even in Italian, we say the equivalent of what French uses. I would say that dita (in Italian) and doigts (in French) are equivalent to English digits, rather than fingers. It's just that we don't have a more specific word for hand digits even if in some contexts, dita alone could be taken as meaning fingers.
– kiamlaluno
2 hours ago
Note that French does also oppose orteils to an unqualified doigts.
– Luke Sawczak
1 hour ago
Strictly speaking, in english we have ten toes, 8 fingers and two thumbs. but thumbs usually get counted as fingers in most situations.
– Ruadhan2300
58 mins ago
@Ruadhan2300 Not true. The thumb is counted as a finger; you say "your thumbs and your other fingers", not "your thumbs and your fingers." And nobody would claim that the sentence "You have ten fingers" is false.
– Luke Sawczak
7 mins ago
add a comment |
1
Even in Italian, we say the equivalent of what French uses. I would say that dita (in Italian) and doigts (in French) are equivalent to English digits, rather than fingers. It's just that we don't have a more specific word for hand digits even if in some contexts, dita alone could be taken as meaning fingers.
– kiamlaluno
2 hours ago
Note that French does also oppose orteils to an unqualified doigts.
– Luke Sawczak
1 hour ago
Strictly speaking, in english we have ten toes, 8 fingers and two thumbs. but thumbs usually get counted as fingers in most situations.
– Ruadhan2300
58 mins ago
@Ruadhan2300 Not true. The thumb is counted as a finger; you say "your thumbs and your other fingers", not "your thumbs and your fingers." And nobody would claim that the sentence "You have ten fingers" is false.
– Luke Sawczak
7 mins ago
1
1
Even in Italian, we say the equivalent of what French uses. I would say that dita (in Italian) and doigts (in French) are equivalent to English digits, rather than fingers. It's just that we don't have a more specific word for hand digits even if in some contexts, dita alone could be taken as meaning fingers.
– kiamlaluno
2 hours ago
Even in Italian, we say the equivalent of what French uses. I would say that dita (in Italian) and doigts (in French) are equivalent to English digits, rather than fingers. It's just that we don't have a more specific word for hand digits even if in some contexts, dita alone could be taken as meaning fingers.
– kiamlaluno
2 hours ago
Note that French does also oppose orteils to an unqualified doigts.
– Luke Sawczak
1 hour ago
Note that French does also oppose orteils to an unqualified doigts.
– Luke Sawczak
1 hour ago
Strictly speaking, in english we have ten toes, 8 fingers and two thumbs. but thumbs usually get counted as fingers in most situations.
– Ruadhan2300
58 mins ago
Strictly speaking, in english we have ten toes, 8 fingers and two thumbs. but thumbs usually get counted as fingers in most situations.
– Ruadhan2300
58 mins ago
@Ruadhan2300 Not true. The thumb is counted as a finger; you say "your thumbs and your other fingers", not "your thumbs and your fingers." And nobody would claim that the sentence "You have ten fingers" is false.
– Luke Sawczak
7 mins ago
@Ruadhan2300 Not true. The thumb is counted as a finger; you say "your thumbs and your other fingers", not "your thumbs and your fingers." And nobody would claim that the sentence "You have ten fingers" is false.
– Luke Sawczak
7 mins ago
add a comment |
No, the correct term to use in your case would be digits. This means both fingers and toes.
edited 2 hours ago
kiamlaluno
15.8k2577154
answered 2 hours ago
Mike BrockingtonMike Brockington
1744
add a comment |
No, the correct term to use in your case would be digits. This means both fingers and toes.
edited 2 hours ago
kiamlaluno
15.8k2577154
answered 2 hours ago
Mike BrockingtonMike Brockington
1744
add a comment |
No, the correct term to use in your case would be digits. This means both fingers and toes.
edited 2 hours ago
kiamlaluno
15.8k2577154
answered 2 hours ago
Mike BrockingtonMike Brockington
1744
No, the correct term to use in your case would be digits. This means both fingers and toes.
edited 2 hours ago
kiamlaluno
15.8k2577154
answered 2 hours ago
Mike BrockingtonMike Brockington
1744
edited 2 hours ago
kiamlaluno
15.8k2577154
edited 2 hours ago
kiamlaluno
15.8k2577154
edited 2 hours ago
kiamlaluno
15.8k2577154
15.8k2577154
answered 2 hours ago
Mike BrockingtonMike Brockington
1744
answered 2 hours ago
Mike BrockingtonMike Brockington
1744
answered 2 hours ago
Mike BrockingtonMike Brockington
1744
1744
add a comment |
add a comment |
You could refer to toes as fingers as a metaphor if you were describing someone with uncommon dexterity in their toes.
- The crowd was amazed when the escape artist kicked off his shoes and
his newly exposed fingers untied the knot.
If you mean the toes themselves, then describing them as fingers would be wrong, and confusing.
answered 30 mins ago
cmmcmm
1012
add a comment |
You could refer to toes as fingers as a metaphor if you were describing someone with uncommon dexterity in their toes.
- The crowd was amazed when the escape artist kicked off his shoes and
his newly exposed fingers untied the knot.
If you mean the toes themselves, then describing them as fingers would be wrong, and confusing.
answered 30 mins ago
cmmcmm
1012
add a comment |
You could refer to toes as fingers as a metaphor if you were describing someone with uncommon dexterity in their toes.
- The crowd was amazed when the escape artist kicked off his shoes and
his newly exposed fingers untied the knot.
If you mean the toes themselves, then describing them as fingers would be wrong, and confusing.
answered 30 mins ago
cmmcmm
1012
You could refer to toes as fingers as a metaphor if you were describing someone with uncommon dexterity in their toes.
- The crowd was amazed when the escape artist kicked off his shoes and
his newly exposed fingers untied the knot.
If you mean the toes themselves, then describing them as fingers would be wrong, and confusing.
answered 30 mins ago
cmmcmm
1012
answered 30 mins ago
cmmcmm
1012
answered 30 mins ago
cmmcmm
1012
answered 30 mins ago
cmmcmm
1012
1012
add a comment |
add a comment |
aMJay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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A related term, Phalanges refers to the bones of the fingers or toes and could be useful depending on context.
– aslum
1 hour ago
2
In English it's even worse: humans have eight fingers and two thumbs :-)
– Aaron F
1 hour ago
Yep, we have a big toe, but no big finger.
– Strawberry
34 mins ago
1
Thumbs are fingers, but we rarely call them fingers, because the fact they oppose the other four fingers gives them special status that we call out by using the specific term "thumb".
– Monty Harder
12 mins ago