What's the difference between a Dork, a Geek, and a Nerd?

Question

What's the difference between a Dork, a Geek, and a Nerd?

Answer 1

Well, a dork is a guy thingie (no, seriously!) A geek seems like it's more geared toward technology, and a nerd is super smart

Answer 2

The spelling!

Answer 3

Historical usage differs.  I assume you want modern usage.

A dork is someone in undesirable circumstances.  Historically, it comes from "dorky" which comes from "door key" which meant the kind of kid that, when he got home from school, didn't have any parents at home.  These days, the original idea is more politically-correctly called "latch-key kid".  Today, "dork" is defined by disadvantage.  Almost doesn't matter what disadvantage it is -- social, psychological, economic, whatever.

A geek is someone who is immersed in something.  Usually, "geek" is qualified -- a comic-book geek, a computer geek, a roleplaying geek, a math geek.  What defines a geek is being able to "get into" something deeper than a normal person could get into anything.

A nerd is someone who is under-socialized, usually because they've got better things to do than be sociable.  Not that they don't want to be sociable, necessarily.  Many a nerd wishes he (or she) could lose the nerd status.  However, nerds won't work hard enough to be popular, simply because a thousand other things are truly more important.

All of 'em, dorks, geeks and nerds alike, tend to have more smarts than the "normal" population.  Some because they don't have "the cool" to develop anything else, and some 'cause there honestly isn't anything better to develop.

The lovely thing is, these are all loose slang terms.  Wait ten years, they'll all mean something else.

Answer 4

Nerds are people of above-average intelligence who place little importance on their appearance. Nerds are often aware of their status, but they don't mind. In fact, many take pride in the putdown, as it means they're smart and not wrapped up in superficial worries. Geek is a more specific term. Back in the day, geeks worked at carnivals, and (according to the dictionary) Thankfully, the term now has a different connotation. Like nerds, geeks are smart, but they tend to focus more on technology.