Though common cold and the flu are both respiratory illnesses with mostly similar symptoms, they aren’t caused by the same virus. The similar symptoms make it difficult to make out the difference between common cold and flu, but it becomes easier to differentiate as the symptoms aggravate.

• Severity
  Though neither the flu nor the common cold is pleasant, the flu is certainly far more severe as compared to the common cold. At times, the flu can even lead to life-threatening complications. So, if you have flu, you need to be aware of what treatment and preventive measures should be taken to prevent transmitting the infection to the people around you.
• Longevity
  Usually, the signs of flu last longer as compared to the symptoms of the common cold.
• Nasal congestion
  Nasal congestion is rare in the case of the flu, but it is one of the first signs of the common cold. Apart from nasal congestion, you might also have a runny or stuffy nose if you have a common cold.
• Sneezing
  One big difference between the common cold and the flu is that sneezing is a regular and one of the initial symptoms of the former. On the other hand, sneezing is a rare symptom of the flu and may or may not affect everyone.
• Fever
  Fever accompanies the flu but is absent in case of the common cold. However, children might experience fever due to the common cold in some cases. Usually, when someone has the flu, there’s a sudden onset of fever that might last for 3-5 days.
• Cough
  Cough, though common in both cold and flu, appears differently in both cases. Cough due to common cold is followed by yellow or green gunk, whereas the flu mostly causes a dry cough.
• Headache
  Headaches are another point of difference between common cold and flu. In flu, headaches are a common symptom and are often intense, but they are a rare occurrence due to the common cold.
• Pains and aches
  You’ll not experience any pains or aches due to common cold, but the flu often leads to intense pains.
• Fatigue
  Fatigue is also a common symptom in both the flu and common cold, but it varies in severity. In flu, you experience intense fatigue that lasts a couple of days, but common cold causes mild fatigue that might go away in a few days.
• Vomiting and nausea
  In children, both nausea and vomiting are common in the flu. However, they are rare symptoms if they have a common cold. On the other hand, these symptoms are uncommon in adults due to flu and are only mild due to the common cold. Unfortunately, they might be accompanied by abdominal cramps and diarrhea in children suffering from the flu.
• Vaccinations
  As such, there are no vaccinations for the common cold, but you can get vaccinated against the flu.