difference between “mention” and “refer to”

They can sometimes function as synonyms, but they are generally quite different words. “Mention” as a verb most often means “name something without going into detail.” “Refer to” can mean “mention” (= briefly name something) but can also mean “talk about,” which implies a more in-depth discussion.

Both are kind of formal and for important speeches. I would like to refer to page 38, 2nd paragraph which says... I would like to also mention Bourdain, one of my favorite chefs. It seems refer is to a thing, mention is a person.

“Mention” has a casual feel, like you’re saying something to provide a little bit of information that might be useful. It’s very similar to the word “say”, but has the feel of throwing in a little bit of extra info to a conversation, in a less direct way. “Oh, I forgot to mention.. the dishwasher is broken so don’t use it”. “I didn’t know it was broken until today. Nobody ever mentioned it to me”. “Refer to”is used to provide clarity. If your dishwasher is broken, you might refer to the manual (often called the “reference manual”) to try and fix it. In this context, “refer to the manual” means “go and find the manual and look for the information you need for this problem”. In conversation, you say what you’re referring to so people are clear what you’re talking about. In this context, “referring to <something>” means to clarify what you are talking about. “I think we all know why the dishwasher broke.. and in case it wasn’t clear, I’m referring to how all of you are always putting too many plates in it”. You can also “refer someone to something”. This means to direct them to the thing (or information) they need. A doctor will refer you to a stomach doctor if you are having stomach problems. If you call a company with a billing issue, they will refer you to the accounts department.