a little / a little bit

[THG]

Hi;
I think "a little / a little bit" are the same meaning. Sometimes I hear some people say "a little bit" , so is there the difference between them?

Thank you!

[Kraken]

Though I am not a teacher, I dare say that they mean more or less the same; only "a little bit" sounds a little bit more familiar, or maybe a slightly shorter amount.

a little
Adverb
1. to a small degree; somewhat; "it's a bit warm"; "felt a little better"; "a trifle smaller"
(synonym) a bit, a trifle

a little bit
a small amount, a few, a jot, a drop, a droplet

[THG]

Though I am not a teacher, I dare say that they mean more or less the same; only "a little bit" sounds a little bit more familiar, or maybe a slightly shorter amount.

a little
Adverb
1. to a small degree; somewhat; "it's a bit warm"; "felt a little better"; "a trifle smaller"
(synonym) a bit, a trifle

a little bit
a small amount, a few, a jot, a drop, a droplet

Thank you, Kraken!

[David L.]

Restricting this to whether a native speaker would say, for examples,

add a little more sugar/ add a little bit more sugar

He's feeling a little better/he's feeling a little bit better

The use of 'bit' does not alter the 'amount'.
We would add 'bit' to stress how informally we are talking.
A chef on TV might say, "Now add a little more of the sugar". To exude even more warmth and friendliness, ' just like I'm a friend helping you make this dish at home', he might smile and say, "Now, add a little bit more of the sugar."

Talking to a doctor on the phone about her son, a mother might say, "He seems to be feeling a little better this morning."
If the doctor was in the room, with the child in bed, the mother might say,"He seems to be feeling a little bit better doctor" because she is also including her child in the conversation, as if saying, "He seems to be feeling a little bit better today...aren't you John." (said more as a statement than a question.

[THG]

David, your examples are very clear to me. Thank you!