Wish or Hope? Which one do I use?

One of my friends on QQ asked me about the words 'hope' and 'wish'. At that time, I didn't have an answer for her. After some thought, I'll try to give you and idea about these two words and how and when to use them. 

If you wish for something, it's very indefinite. "I wish that I could be a movie star." Maybe someday this could happen but, for now anyway, it's a dream. You can wish upon a star or make a wish when you blow out a candle. These things aren't definite and usually they won't happen. Wishes and dreams are similar. 

If you hope for something, then there is a definite possibility that it will happen. "I hope it rains tomorrow, the ground is really dry." "I hope that the dentist can fix this pain in my tooth." In both cases there is a chance that these things will happen.

Hope is also something that you have if there is a chance that something will happen. The miners in Chile were trapped very far underground but there was always hope that they would be saved. If there was no communication with them for weeks, then all hope would be lost. 

Wish can also be a verb. "We wish you a Merry Christmas." Hope is a verb, too but, in this case, wish is a bit lighter. You wish a person a happy birthday. But you hope they had a great party. In these cases, you just have to have a bit of luck making the choice. 

As with most things to do with English, it's sometimes easier to change the words around when you can't decide which word to use. "It would be nice if it rained tomorrow." That takes care of your problem. We have a million words in English. There is always another way to say the same thing. Don't worry! 

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feel free to ask.