Pantyhose vs. Tights
“Pantyhose” and “tights” overlap strongly but regional usage matters. Cambridge labels “pantyhose” as US for the garment called “tights” in UK English, while “tights” can also describe other close-fitting legwear.
In the thin hosiery sense, US “pantyhose” corresponds to UK “tights”; “tights” also has broader clothing uses.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| thin hosiery covering the feet, legs, and lower body in US English | pantyhose | Use “pantyhose” for this US clothing sense. |
| corresponding thin hosiery in UK English | tights | Use “tights” in UK English. |
| other close-fitting legwear such as dance or exercise clothing | tights | “Tights” has a broader garment range than the regional equivalence alone. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the thin hosiery garment whose US term is “pantyhose”?
If yes: Use “pantyhose” in US English and “tights” in UK English.
If no: If the garment is other close-fitting legwear, “tights” may still be the correct word even where “pantyhose” would not apply.
Caveat: The overlap is sense-specific and regional. “Tights” is broader than “pantyhose,” so the words are not interchangeable in every clothing context.
Examples
She bought a new pair of pantyhose for the event.
“Pantyhose” is the US term in the thin-hosiery sense.
She bought a new pair of tights for the event.
“Tights” is the UK term for the corresponding garment.
The dancers wore black tights during rehearsal.
“Tights” also has broader clothing uses beyond the US/UK hosiery equivalence.
Further guidance
Core difference
In the thin hosiery sense, “pantyhose” is chiefly US and “tights” is the corresponding UK term.
Fast Test
For UK-facing wording about thin hosiery, use “tights”; for US-facing wording, “pantyhose” is the specific traditional term.
Usage Boundary
In American English, “tights” can refer more broadly to close-fitting garments used for dance, exercise, or layering, so the two words are not identical in every US context.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- PANTYHOSE — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Regional clothing-vocabulary evidence that US pantyhose corresponds to UK tights in the thin hosiery sense.
- TIGHTS — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Evidence that UK tights can correspond to US pantyhose, while tights also has a broader garment sense.