String Lights vs Fairy Lights | What’s the Difference?

Before I got into lighting, I would use the terms fairy lights and string lights interchangeably – they both refer to those lights attached to strings you see draped over things, right?

Well, sort of. While string lights and fairy lights are very similar, they are different. What are those differences? Let’s take a look.

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Summary of Differences Between String Lights and Fairy Lights

	String Lights	Fairy Lights
Bulb Size	Large	Small
Bulb Spacing	Well-spaced	Very close together
Usage Location	Usually used outside, but can be used inside	Usually used inside, but can be used outside

String Lights

String Lights Have Large Bulbs

String lights have large bulbs, usually LED bulbs in sizes ranging from S14, ST38, and G40.

Here is a picture from my recent walk at Harewood House – you can see the string lights and the size of the bulbs:

Each Bulb on a String Light is Well-Spaced from One Another, Usually Equidistant

If you ever see string lights hung up, you’ll see that the individual bulbs are spaced quite far apart, and that there usually are not that many bulbs per string light.

This is because each bulb is not too dissimilar from a normal LED bulb you’d use in a pendant light, which as you know can be very bright!

String Lights are Usually Used Outside, However Can Also Be Used Inside

String lights are usually used outside, which is why most string lights you’ll see online are waterproof (or at least water resistant).

This is because of the level of light generated by string lights – as I mentioned before, if each bulb on the string light is as powerful as a normal household LED bulb, you can see how a string light with 20-30 bulbs on can quickly get very bright!

Fairy Lights

Fairy Lights Have Small/Tiny Bulbs

Fairy lights usually have tiny bulbs, but lots of them – just like on your Christmas tree lights. This means they don’t use much electricity to run, so can be either battery-powered or powered by plug.

Each Bulb on a Fairy Light is Very Close Together

You get loads more bulbs on fairy lights than you do on string lights. To give an example, on this 7ft fairy light you get 20 bulbs, while you only get 15 bulbs on this 50ft string light.

Fairy Lights Are Usually Used Inside, However Can Also Be Used Outside

You’ll often see fairy lights used inside the home more often than not, especially in bedrooms. However, there are many applications where you’d use them outside too!

Another big difference is that fairy lights are considered more decorative pieces than lighting elements. This is because they are not very bright, so do not produce much light.

This is why you’ll often see fairy lights coupled with other lighting sources (like wall lights, floor lamps etc…), so that the space they’re in is actually lit up well enough.

Related Posts

• How to String Lights to a Garden Tree | What You Need to Know
• Hanging String Lights Around a Pool: Best Ideas & Top Tips
• How to Hang String Lights Indoors Without Nails

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