I confess to being confused by Natasha's answer, and can only presume that these words have a different meaning where she lives. Natasha's description of 'cup' sounds more like a glass, whereas her description of 'mug' covers both 'cup' and 'mug'. This is what cups and mugs have in common: Both are usually ceramic Both have handles Both are generally used for hot drinks - tea, coffee, chocolate (The exception to this is a baby cup, which is generally plastic and used for cold drinks - simply because it's more practical to give a baby or toddler a drink in a vessel that isn't glass but does have a handle). So if both mugs and cups are usually ceramic, used for hot drinks and have handles, what is the difference? Simple - it's one of size and shape: Cups come in a variety of shapes of sizes. An espresso cup is very small, whereas a cappuccino cup is wide and open, almost like a bowl. A tradition teacup has a dainty narrow base and then widens out towards the top. Mugs are always cylindrical in shape and are generally larger than a cup. They're less refined, but being cylindrical, they hold more liquid. 'Mug' is also a more specific term. You could refer to a mug as a 'cup', but a wide cappuccino cup or dainty espresso cup are both 'cups' - definitely not mugs.

A cup is used for either hot or cold liquids but mostly cold. It can be made of virtually any material. A mug is traditionally used for warm/hot liquids (like coffee or tea) and always has a handle to hold. It's usually made of a more porous material like ceramic. You can generally say that a mug is a type of cup but a cup is never a type of mug.

There is absolutely no difference..

Go google images for "mug" and "cup" and you will understand better that way.