[None][1] already explain the technical and etymological difference. The main difference is that in European French, or at least in France, *chandelle* is mostly used nowadays in set expressions, some of them already mentioned earlier in comments: - *brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts*: [to burn the candle at both ends][2], to do things in excess, to waste - *voir trente-six chandelles*: to see stars, to be knocked out - *dîner aux chandelles*: romantic dinner - *tenir la chandelle*: "to hold the candle", to be a third wheel - *devoir une fière chandelle*: to owe a great deal to someone. - *le jeu n'en veut pas la chandelle*: something isn't worth the effort - *économies de bouts de chandelle*: penny-pinching savings - *monter en chandelle/descendre en chandelle*: to zoom (plane) - *faire une chandelle*: to lob (e.g. tennis) As you can see, there are plenty of such idioms so the word itself is well alive, despite being almost unused alone. The derived words *chandelier*/*candelabre* are also mostly used for antiques and substituted by *bougeoir* for current candle holders. There is also a third word, *cierge*, specialized for candles to be lit in a church. Canadian French kept *[chandelle][3]* as its main word for candle and mostly reserves *bougies* for [spark plugs][4]. That means in Québec, you would more likely hear *souffler ses chandelles* while in France, that would be *souffler ses bougies*. Both expressions are of course understood everywhere. [1]: https://french.stackexchange.com/a/47005/1109 [2]: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/burning-the-candle-at-both-ends.html [3]: http://bdl.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/bdl/gabarit_bdl.asp?t1=1&id=4009 [4]: https://french.stackexchange.com/questions/47004/whats-the-difference-between-bougie-and-chandelle-in-french#comment95206_47005