Difference Between Sent and Delivered

April 2022 · 5 minute read

The word ‘sent’ and ‘delivered’ have completely different meanings. The word ‘sent’ is used when a message has been sent from one side and is to be received by the receiver. Delivered and sent are frequently used to indicate message status. The status ‘delivered’ stands for completion of the process.

Sent vs Delivered

The main difference between ‘sent’ and ‘delivered’ is that ‘sent’ refers to the beginning of a delivery process. On the other hand, ‘delivered’ refers to the ending of the process of sending and receiving. ‘Sent’ means that the message or an object is being transported to its destination.

The word ‘sent’ in the past and past participle tense of the word ‘send’. The word ‘send’ is used when an object or message is ready to be received by the consumer or recipient. It indicates the starting of the delivery process. After writing an email or message, when you hit the send button of the mobile screen, then the message status shows ‘sent’.

The status ‘delivered’ implies that the message of the object from the sender has been successfully reached the intended person or destination. ‘Delivered’ stands for the completion of the entire process of sending and receiving. When the message status of your phone shows ‘delivered’, that means the message is received but not yet read by the recipient.

Comparison Table Between Sent and Delivered

Parameters of Comparison  Sent  Delivered  
Meaning  ‘Sent’ implies that a message or object is being transported to its destination.  The term ‘delivered’ denotes that a message was successfully received by the receiver.  
Grammatical use  ‘Sent’ is generally used as a verb in a sentence.  It is used as an adjective or a verb in a sentence.  
Tense  It is the simple past tense and past participle of the word ‘send’.  It is the simple past tense and past participle of ‘deliver’.  
Status  This status implies the beginning of the sending process.  It stands for the completion of the process.  
Sentence example  She sent her application for the job.  The letter is not delivered.  
Message indicator  One checkmark.  Double checkmark.  

What is Sent?

‘Sent’ is a status that stands for the initiation of the message or email being sent to the recipient. It means the object or the message is submitted for delivery. After writing any message in your inbox, if you hit the send button, the message will be received by the server. It also indicates that the message sending is in process.

It is the past and past participle tense of the verb ‘send’. ‘Sent means the beginning of the delivery process. When someone sends a letter, it means it’s set off on a journey to another person. When you buy something on the internet, the seller tells you that the item has been sent. It means the shipping process has been started, and it will be ended by the delivery of the product.

When an object has been sent, it implies that the object is being transported to its destination and the journey is not yet finished. If you say that “I sent the letter to her”, that means the letter is on its way to being received. The word ‘sent’ gives the idea that something was directed towards a specific destination. Some symbols or indications are used to identify the ‘sent’ status of a message. One checkmark on the inbox message often stands for the ‘sent’ status.

What is Delivered?

‘Delivered’ refers to the message or an object that has been received by the receiver. In the case of platforms like Facebook messenger, the word ‘delivered’ means that the message has been successfully reached to the recipient’s device and already has been downloaded. Now the message is ready to be read by the recipient.

When someone sends a letter, and it is delivered, that means the letter is now at the address of the intended recipient, and she or he can get the letter and read it. The word ‘delivered’ implies the past and past participle tense of the word ‘deliver’. Some messaging platforms use some icons to indicate the ‘delivered’ status, such as a double checkmark or a filled-in blue circle within a checkmark.

When a message shows the status ‘delivered’, that often means the recipient is active on the messenger. This status means the message reaches the inbox of the recipient. Additionally, when you buy something on the internet, and the status of the item shows ‘delivered’, that means the product has been successfully reached the intended address. This is the ending of the entire process of sending and receiving.

Main Differences Between Sent and Delivered

  • ‘Sent’ is the past tense and past participle tense of the verb ‘send’. On the other hand, ‘delivered’ is the simple past and past participle tense of the word ‘deliver’.
  • The word ‘sent’ is used in a sentence as a verb. On the other hand, the word ‘delivered’ is used in a sentence as a verb or an adjective.
  • ‘Sent’ stands for the starting of the delivery process. On the other hand, ‘delivered’ stands for the completion of the sending and delivery process.
  • ‘Sent’ means the message is on its way to reach or yet to be reached. On the other hand, ‘delivered’ means the message or an object is reached its destination.
  • In the messaging system, one ‘tick mark’ on the side of the send message indicates that the message is reached the server but has not yet been delivered to the intended person. On the other hand, double checkmarks symbolize that the message is delivered to the intended device.
  • Conclusion

    The word ‘sent’ generally plays a role of a verb in a sentence. It can also be used as an adjective in a sentence. Additionally, when you use the word ‘sent’ as a noun form, it implies a completely different meaning which means a unit of currency. Both the words ‘sent’ and ‘delivered’ stand for the status of a message.

    Some symbols and indications are used to confirm the status of the message. The word ‘delivered’ carries a different meaning, which indicates the completion of the process of delivery. Both words are widely used in online e-commerce platforms and various messaging platforms

    References

  • https://search.proquest.com/openview/00ee3d1340d8f1b9a48eb96bad68eb99/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=47713
  • https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14724040208668118
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