What is the difference between Clients and Clientele? [closed]

Solution 1:

You are correct that the distinction is very subtle and not easily discerned from a simple dictionary definition. Clients is the plural of client, and clientele refers to a body clients, per Merriam-Webster.

The tiny difference must be derived from experience and familiarity with usage, then. Consider:

We must find a way to make our clients more comfortable with the user interface.

Tom and Joe are two of our oldest clients.

As opposed to:

This store tends to serve a more up-scale clientele.

How can we appeal more to the youth clientele?

I argue that clients is used for a more concrete subject, to actual persons or entities that purchase and use goods and services. Clientele on the other hand, is used more abstractly, to refer to a type or category. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, however.