What’s the difference between cup, mug and glass?

This week we are looking at the different containers that you can drink out of: cup, mug and glass

cup

cup is a small, round container, usually with a handle, from which you drink hot drinks such as tea and coffee. A cup sometimes rests on a saucer.

John put his cup and saucer on the coffee table.

mug

mug is a large deep cup with straight sides and a handle, used for hot drinks. You don’t rest a mug on a saucer.

He spooned instant coffee into two of the mugs.

glass

glass is a container made out of glass and used for cold drinks.

I put down my glass and stood up.

Contents and measurements


You can use cupglass, and mug to talk about the contents of each container.

Do you want a cup of coffee?

He had been drinking mugs of coffee to keep himself awake. 

Drink eight glasses of water a day.

cup is also a unit of measurement used in cooking.

Mix four cups of flour with a pinch of salt.


Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Other Articles

The 8 parts of speech in English

VERBS A verb tells us about an action or a state of being. Ordinary verbs are called main verbs. For example: come, go, think, want, escape, believe. A main verb is sometimes called a ‘doing word’. A special group of verbs are called auxiliary verbs. These can be put together with main verbs to… Read More

Months and Dates

In order to talk confidently about your plans in English, it’s useful to know some essential phrases that relate to months and dates. The months of the year in English are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. Read More

Formation of past and present tense of English verbs

The present tense of a regular verb is the same as the base form of the verb, except that an -s is added to the verb when it has a noun or he, she, or it as a subject. This form is called the 3rd person singular form. I live in the country. He likes his job. The window looks… Read More