We (sometimes) call x−y a difference even though it can be negative. But if you ask for the difference between x and y, it's not clear which to subtract from which.

Does difference mean negative?

In math, a difference is a subtraction. For example, the difference between 10 and 2 is 8 (10 – 2 = 8). However, you run into problems with negative numbers. ... In real life terms, a difference, or distance, makes more sense if it's a positive value, so we take the absolute value of the difference: |-2| = 2.

Can the difference in temperature be negative?

Negative Integers

Since temperatures can be both negative and positive, you may be asked to solve word problems about calculating temperature differences between negative and positive integers.