shortly or soon

[Offroad]

Please, dear singers and teachers...

what's the difference between these? (if there's any)

I'll be there shortly.
I'll be there soon.

Thanks

[svartnik]

Both mean the same thing: in the near future.

[David L.]

Both mean 'in or after a short time', from now, or some specified event.

One appears to be regarded as more suitable for 'professional'/'formal' use, because you will more often hear:
"Shortly after take-off, we will be serving..."
"The doctor will be with you shortly."
rather than 'soon'
In other contexts, they seem interchangeable:
"The flight was hijacked shortly/soon after takeoff."

[Daruma]

shortly
1 a short time; not long: She arrived shortly after us. I saw him shortly before he died. I bought a new umbrella but lost it shortly afterwards.
2 soon: I’ll be ready shortly.
3 in an angry and impatient way sharply: ‘Just wait a minute,’ he said, shortly.

soon
1 in a short time from now; a short time after sth else has happened: We’ll be home soon. / We’ll soon be home. She sold the house soon after her husband died. I soon realized the mistake. It soon became clear that the programme was a failure. (informal) See you soon!
2 early; quickly: How soon can you get here? We’ll deliver the goods as soon as we can. Please send it as soon as possible. Next Monday is the soonest we can deliver. They arrived home sooner than expected. The sooner we set off, the sooner we will arrive. The note said, ‘Call Bill soonest’ (= as soon as possible). All too soon the party was over.

[engee30]

shortly
1 a short time; not long: She arrived shortly after us. I saw him shortly before he died. I bought a new umbrella but lost it shortly afterwards.
2 soon: I’ll be ready shortly.
3 in an angry and impatient way sharply: ‘Just wait a minute,’ he said, shortly.

soon
1 in a short time from now; a short time after sth else has happened: We’ll be home soon. / We’ll soon be home. She sold the house soon after her husband died. I soon realized the mistake. It soon became clear that the programme was a failure. (informal) See you soon!
2 early; quickly: How soon can you get here? We’ll deliver the goods as soon as we can. Please send it as soon as possible. Next Monday is the soonest we can deliver. They arrived home sooner than expected. The sooner we set off, the sooner we will arrive. The note said, ‘Call Bill soonest’ (= as soon as possible). All too soon the party was over.

Wow! Looks like an excerpt from an Oxford® dictionary.

[Offroad]

Wow! Looks like an excerpt from an Oxford® dictionary.

Our dear friend Daruma has helped out by bringing us definitions from on-line dictionaries.