The Difference Between a Nerd and a Geek (and a Dork)

It's been a long time, guys, but suddenly while browsing LOLpics on my iPod, I remembered something that truly annoys me. People always use the words nerd and geek and dork interchangeably. Well, guess what? They are not the same.

In my mind, here is how this works.

A nerd is someone who is intelligent and likes to learn--more than the average person. A nerd may not get straight A's constantly, but they are truly interested in their subjects, unlike nearly 75% of my school. When someone is called a nerd, it can have a negative or positive connotation. For example:

guy: hey [wannabe cool person], you're such a nerd!
wannabe cool person: =(

or

guy: hey [science lover], you're such a nerd!
science lover: aw hell yeah! nerd and proud!

A geek is someone who has interests in certain topics--more than the average person. A geek will have an obsession with, say, Pokemon, or Doctor Who. Or Harry Potter. Like nerd, geek can have a positive or negative effect.

A dork is someone who either dresses weird, acts weird, or is in general strange. The word has a decidedly negative connotation, but friends often affectionately call their friends dorks.

Any person can be any one of these, or two, or three. I believe I am a geek and a nerd. If you want to be more specific, you can attach tags: I am a science/math nerd and a Harry Potter geek. Make sense?

So don't make the confusion again. I might have to eat you.