What is the difference between editing and revising an essay?

Editing and revising might sound like twins, but they’re more like cousins—related, but with very different jobs. Revising is the big-picture stuff: Does your thesis make sense? Are your ideas clear? Is your structure more like a roller coaster or a car crash? Editing, on the other hand, zooms in on the little things—grammar, typos, punctuation, and that sentence you thought was deep but actually makes no sense. Think of revising as rearranging the furniture and knocking down walls, while editing is fluffing pillows and hanging the art straight. Both are essential. Skip either one, and you risk turning a strong essay into a hot mess.