hope vs wish

  Hope as a verb means you want something to happen, or to be true.

  Wish as a verb means you want something to happen, or to be true.

  If you look at the dictionary definitions above, hope and wish seem to have the same meaning, but you know English, it works in mysterious ways:-

  When you hope for something you believe there is at least some likelihood it will happen.

  • I hope it stops raining soon.

  • I hope I will pass my test.

  You can use it to express regret:-

  • I had hoped it would stop raining.

  When you really don't think there's much chance of something happening, you can use wish:-

  • I wish it would stop raining.

  You can use wish to express regret:-

  • I wish it had stopped raining.

  • I wish I had paid attention to my English teacher at school.

  And of course you can make a wish, as in:-

  • I wished upon a star last night.

  You can also wish happiness and health and riches for other people.

  • "Best wishes."

  "We wish you a Merry Christmas."

  - See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/mistakes/hopevswish.html\#sthash.MWn3Vk9x.dpuf