What are the differences between oreja and oído?

Question

Answer 1

Oreja is the ear that you see on the side of your head also known as the 'outer' ear.

Oído is also the ear but it's the 'organ' and that includes the part you see on the outside of your head, (outer ear) the middle ear as well as the inner ear.

Apart from that oído is the past participle of oir and means 'heard'

Para servirte

don't know where we'd be without you KG - patch, Dec 21, 2011

rofl, I'm sure you'd do quite well ;) - Kiwi-Girl, Dec 21, 2011

Muchas gracias. - zhmelissa, Dec 21, 2011

de nada :) - Kiwi-Girl, Dec 21, 2011

Excellent explanation MC. :) - galsally, Dec 21, 2011

I don't know how such a little bird knows so much :) - ian-hill, Dec 21, 2011

Wow Ian :) It is great to see you back I hope you received all our good wishes for your speedy recovery :) How are you today, my friend:) - FELIZ77, Dec 21, 2011

Thanx guys ;) Well what I don't know Google does rofl! - Kiwi-Girl, Dec 21, 2011

Answer 2

This is something I haven't got around to checking out properly before, so with Kiwi Girl and Birdie's contributions combined, would I be correct in thinking.....

'Oreja' refers to the visible appendage, and 'oído' to the the entire organ, and also to the sense, which we call 'hearing'.

The confusion comes because in English we only really have one word for both the visible appendage and the organ, but we have a completely separate word for the 'sense'

Ear

• Oreja - Appendage on the side of the head (in humans!)

  • Oído - The organ of hearing, which includes the appendage.

Hearing -

• Oído - The sense of hearing

Is that correct

You've got it :) - Kiwi-Girl, Dec 21, 2011

Answer 3

Or, put another way, it's "ear and hear". The organ is oreja and the sense, "hearing" is oido, el sentido de oir