What's the difference between a Hurricane, Cyclone and Typhoon?

Question

What's the difference between a Hurricane, Cyclone and Typhoon?

Answer 1

A tropical cyclone is a warm-core, low pressure system without any "front" attached, that develops over the tropical or subtropical waters, and has an organized circulation. Depending upon location, tropical cyclones have different names around the world. In the:

Atlantic/Eastern Pacific Oceans - hurricanes

Western Pacific - typhoons

Indian Ocean - cyclones

As Defined by the National Weather Service.

Cyclone

An area of low atmospheric pressure that has a closed circulation. Cyclones (or more commonly called "low pressure areas") rotate counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. They usually bring about clouds and precipitation.

Hurricane

A warm-core tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind (using the U.S. 1-minute average) is 64 kt (74 mph or 119 kph) or more. The term hurricane is used for Northern Hemisphere cyclones east of the International Dateline to the Greenwich Meridian. It has a diameter of 250 to 500 miles and a cyclonic circulation typically extending to near 50,000 feet. It is called a Typhoon in the western Pacific north of the Equator and west of the International Dateline, a Cyclone in the Indian Ocean, and Baguio in the Philippines area.

There is one more type of Cyclone that is not talked about very often but can create just as much damage and that is a Mid Latitude Cyclone. They occure in the Mid-Latitude Areas

between 30° and 60° north and south of the Equator. and form differently than a tropical cyclone.

Answer 2

It only matters as to what part of the world you are.  The names mean the same kind of storm.  The Atlantic and eastern Pacific are Hurricanes, western Pacific are Cyclones and Indian Ocean is Typhoon.  See more at NOAA.