Common vs. mutual

What does common mean?

Common means something shared by two or more people.

For example:

·      We have a lot of friends in common.

What does mutual mean?

Mutual is when that common interest is reciprocal, a shared experience, or directly exchanged by both parties.

For example:

·      The feeling is mutual.

What’s the difference between common and mutual?

Common means something shared by two or more people while mutual means reciprocal or directly exchanged. In other words, mutual suggests that the connection flows both ways, while common can be experienced in different ways by the same people.

For example:

·      We have a mutual hatred for magpies, a common bird in Australia.