What's the difference between 'historic' and 'historical'?

• "A historic victory." (this win will be remembered in history)
• "A historic agreement." (this deal is historically significant)
• "This is a historic moment." (it will become part of history)

• "A historical document." (a document from the past)
• "Historical research." (research about the past)
• "A historical drama." (set in a past period)

The test: Would you say "this will be in the history books"? → historic. Is it just "to do with history"? → historical.

Common mistake: "It was an historical moment" — often this means "historic." "An historical" is also grammatically unusual — "a historic" is correct (the 'h' is pronounced).

"An historic" vs "a historic": "An historic" sounds very British and slightly old-fashioned. "A historic" is standard modern usage.

Tags: vocabulary, confusing words, history, formal English