How do ice sheets differ from ice caps?

Both ice sheets and ice caps are types of glaciers—large masses of ice formed on land by the compression of snow over many years. The primary difference between them is their size and scale.12

• Ice Sheets: These are continuous, massive expanses of glacial ice that cover extensive land areas, such as Antarctica or Greenland. By definition, an ice sheet must exceed 50,000 square kilometers (approximately 19,000 square miles) in area. They move outward in all directions from their center and are large enough to bury the underlying topography.12
• Ice Caps: These are similar in nature to ice sheets but are significantly smaller in scale. They are covers of perennial ice and snow that typically form on extensive areas of relatively level land, flowing outward from their center.123

In summary, while both represent significant accumulations of frozen water, the term "ice sheet" is reserved for the largest continental-scale masses, whereas "ice cap" refers to smaller, more localized perennial ice bodies.14