Verification and validation

Verification asks "did we build it right?". Does the product match its specification, its design and its acceptance criteria, the agreed conditions a story must meet? Validation asks "did we build the right thing?".

Does it meet the user's real need when real people use it? Most test cases verify. Exploratory testing, usability checks and user acceptance testing lean towards validation.

The difference matters because a feature can pass every scripted check and still frustrate users. A good tester says so, rather than hiding behind "it matches the ticket". This habit of questioning the requirement itself leads into the next stage, where you analyse stories before testing them.