1. Hope I hope something happens. (happens in the future) 2. Wish I wish things were different. (now and in the future) I wish something would happen. (happen in the future) Those are the usages of the two words. Study them, and you'll understand the difference immediately.

Hope means something which is possible and probable. Wish means something which is not likely to happen or something which is impossible. We use 'hope' to express a wish/desire/aspiration that has a good chance of being true. • I hope you will be successful. • We hope the phone lines are clear next Saturday. • We all hope that we will find happiness. • We hope the weather will be good tomorrow. We use 'wish' to express a hope/desire/aspiration that seems to be unlikely or even impossible (i.e. not much chance or even zero chance) • I wish I were taller. • I wish I were smarter. • We wish the phone lines were always clear. • You wish you were richer. • Everyone wishes for world peace. There is one more use for the word "wish".......wish = desire For example, the usual wish spoken at special times, e.g., I wish you a Merry Christmas !.. that means: My desire is that you have a merry Christmas! - We wish you a happy birthday!..that means: Our desire is that you have a happy birthday. - I wish he would get better...that means: My desire is that he gets well. He doesn’t feel well now and my strong desire is that he gets better soon. - I wish you all the best / I wish you good luck...that means: My desire is that you will have good luck in the future.