Wardrobe and Closet are two words that are often confused due to the appearing similarity between them. Strictly speaking, there is some difference between the two words when it comes to their connotations.
A wardrobe is usually a large cupboard, whereas a closet is a small cupboard. This is the major difference between them. Of course, their purposes differ to some extent too. A closet is an enclosed recess used generally for keeping clothes and linen. It is also used to store or keep household articles.
It is important to know that a closet is small in size and hence, it can be used only to keep small household articles and not bigger ones. The word ‘closet’ is sometimes used in the sense of toilet too especially in Britain. It is referred to by the form W.C. that stands for water closet.
On the other hand, a wardrobe is a large cupboard with a large storing space to keep clothes. In fact, it is used as a collective word for all the clothes that you may have in your home. Hence, it is understood that the word ‘wardrobe’ is synonymous with any other word that has the meaning of a place to keep clothes.
It is interesting to note that seasonal wardrobes are also used in homes. A summer wardrobe would contain all the clothes primarily used during the summer season. Similarly, a winter wardrobe would hold all the clothes primarily used during the winter season.
A wardrobe is also used to store or keep the costumes used in the theater. Such a kind of wardrobe, is generally used by the artistes associated with the theater and production. It is usually very large in size. These are the differences between the two words, namely, wardrobe and closet.