If an unhappy customer says to other people that the store owner is a "crook," the owner might take the customer to court and sue the person. But would the owner sue for slander or libel?
– libel vs. slander –
The Difference: These two legal terms both mean to illegally criticize someone, to accuse a person of dishonest or criminal behavior, when the criticism is untrue. But libel and slander originally had different meanings:
• libel = written
→ She sued the newspaper for libel.
• slander = spoken (n. and v.)
→ What they said was slander. They slandered me! I'll sue them for slander.
However, slander has long been used for both written and spoken statements in popular usage such as on radio and TV. It's also more common in spoken English.
Advice: (1) In formal writing or speaking, follow the rule: libel for written statements and slander for spoken statements. (2) Avoid libel and slander and courts altogether. They are all much too troublesome.
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