In today's digital age, there's an abundance of English terms circulating in our lives, especially online. 'Preview' happens to be one of them. It's not uncommon to come across phrases like 'product preview' or 'film preview'. So, what exactly is Preview? If you're pondering this question, let's dive into the explanation below.

What Does 'Preview' Mean?
What's Preview Defined As?
According to the English-Vietnamese dictionary, the term 'Preview' is defined as:
- Previewing, examining beforehand;
- Preliminary investigation;
- Describing, presenting something before it officially begins.
Preview can function as both a verb and a noun.
The provided definitions serve as the foundation for the common usage of the term 'Preview' today.
In other contexts, what does 'Preview' mean?
As a commonplace English term, 'Preview' finds application in various scenarios. Below are some of the most common instances:
Product Preview
For example, in the tech industry (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.), before being officially released to the market, manufacturers always pre-announce some notable information about their products, such as dimensions, aesthetics, technical specifications (RAM, CPU, internal memory, camera, etc.), or unique new features. This pre-announcement aims to promote the product, attract media and customer attention, thereby increasing the number of buyers after the product is officially launched.
The manufacturer's pre-announcement event is called a Preview session. Additionally, customers referring to product information before the launch date is also considered a Preview.

An Apple product announcement event
Film Preview
Similar to tech products, any film before its release is accompanied by one or more short videos released by the producers for introduction purposes. This also constitutes a form of Preview. It may include selected scenes cut from the film (commonly known as trailers).
Software Preview
This is often observed in video editing software, where there's typically a small area in the software interface (or separated into a separate window) called Preview. This area serves to visually display the result video before users decide to apply their edits. Thanks to the Preview area, users can see how their edits will turn out, allowing for appropriate adjustments to enhance the final product.

Preview Area in Video Editing Software
Various types of software also allow for result previews, such as programming software, graphic design, web design applications, etc.
Distinguishing Preview and Review
Many English words have become common terms in everyday life. However, excessive use of English terms without understanding their exact meanings can lead to confusion. Specifically in this article, I aim to differentiate between Preview and Review.
Many have confused Preview and Review due to their similar pronunciation and overlapping meanings. So, what about Review?

What is Review? How does it differ from Preview?
Both involve scrutiny, yet unlike Preview (pre-examination before official release), Review involves revisiting and pondering to draw comments, evaluations about something. Hence, Review is used after the event has ended or the product has been released.
For instance, product reviews are evaluations, comments from a customer who has used the product. Similarly, film reviews entail audience feedback after watching the movie.
By now, you must have a clear understanding of what Preview is, right? I hope that the knowledge shared above will be helpful to you!
