Clothes and clothing refer to the things you wear – shirts, pants, underwear, dresses, suits, etc. ***Cloth is the material, the fabric. Cotton, wool, silk, etc. are different types of cloth. There is also a pronunciation difference: The o in clothes/clothing sounds like the o in “no.” The o in cloth sounds like the aw in “saw.” Now, what about clothes and clothing? They are mostly the same, and sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a tiny difference: ***Clothing is more formal, and usually refers to a general category: men’s clothing, women’s clothing, athletic clothing, clothing made from natural materials, etc. ***Clothes refers to the individual items that you wear. You pack your clothes in your suitcase before going on a trip, and you take off your clothes before taking a shower.