If you use economic, you're saying it is related to economics. If you use economical, you're implying that it's economically efficient. So, you could say: The gas mileage was economical. Meaning: not a lot of gas is burned in the vehicle If you said: The gas mileage is economic. Meaning: You'd be describing that gas mileage is an economic identity and that it could be rated economically. However, you're not saying that it is economical; you're just saying that it has an effect on the economics relating to the vehicle. If that confused you, here's a two more examples: The economic crash that occurred due to the recession was not as bad as people thought. The economical toilette saved me a lot of money, due to it using less water. Although, not many people would look at a toilette in that way :P. I just can't think of any other examples, haha.

Olga L, Well, do you trust the dictionaries? Both Webster's Collegiate and the Oxford Concise Dictionary give " intended to save money" as the second definition of economic. If you do a little research on the web you will find that they are correct. Although it is not the main definition, 'economic' can be used in the sense of 'economical'. Examples from the net: -The engine of our economic automobile died in 2008. -A 1916 experiment in creating a fuel-economic automobile in the United States. -In this terrain, our economic lawnmower is stalled for the time being. -An economic method for the fluorescent labeling of PCR fragments. A poor man's approach to genotyping for research and high-throughput diagnostics.

economically speaking we are not economical :P

The adjective 'economic' pertains to the economy, finances or wealth. Examples: The economic deceleration will likely cause a further fall in unemployment. The host will interview the winners and losers from current economic situation. It's not about money - he is fine from an economic perspective. Economical The adjective 'economical' denotes that something saves money or resources or is not wasteful of money or resources. Examples: It has a powerful yet economical engine that is suitable for high-mileage drivers. The most practical and economical way to see Brazil is by air. The adverb is easy - it's 'economically' for both.

sometimes there are words which can end with bth -ic and -ical. --- in some cases, both mean the same thing. --- sometimes they have different meanings, like with economic (meaning relating to economics) and "economical", which by convention is used to be mean something more like 'financially efficient'. --- therefore, know that this can vary based on the word and the convention of its usage.