No.

Only difference I know of is there is a sweet potato pie but not a yam pie:)

it seems that most people get confused as to what is a sweet potato and what is a yam! In fact, in the United States, most people use both terminologies to refer to a sweet potato, when neither of these two vegetables is related! The sweet potato is found in tropical America and is a part of the Morning Glory family. The yam is a tuber (a bulb) of a tropical vine found in Central & South America, as well as the West Indies, Africa and Asia.

Yes, they are different species, even though they are both tubers. Yams are orange and loaded with beta-carotine; sweet potatoes are more yellowish,sometimes even close to white, and starchier.

Many people use these terms interchangeably both in conversation and in cooking, but they are really two different vegetables. Sweet Potatoes Popular in the American South, these yellow or orange tubers are elongated with ends that taper to a point and are of two dominant types. The paler-skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh which is not sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato. The darker-skinned variety (which is most often called "yam" in error) has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a vivid orange, sweet flesh and a moist texture. Yams The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Slowly becoming more common in US markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, with over 150 varieties available worldwide. Yams are delicious and can be use in place of regular potatoes. http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/sweetpotatodiff.htm

I think a yam is orange or yellow on the inside and sweet potatoes are more or less similar in color to regular potatoes (or is it the other way around?) The photo is a sweet potato? Yams would be bright orange?

No, I did not know. I have been cooking and eating sweet potatoes a lot of times, but I think I just heard about yams. Are you here talking about the "true" yam or about the special kind of sweet potatoes with yellow or orange flesh? 1) "Yam may refer to: - Yam (vegetable), common name for members of Dioscorea - Sweet potato, particularly in its yellow- or orange-fleshed cultivars " Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam 2) "Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. There are hundreds of cultivars among the cultivated species. Yams are not sweet potatoes, but are used in a fashion similar to both sweet potatoes and potatoes. The word yam comes from Portuguese inhame or Spanish ñame, which both ultimately derive from the Wolof word nyam, meaning "to sample" or "taste", in other African languages it can also mean "to eat" e.g. yamyam and nyama in Hausa. Yam tubers can grow up to 2.5 meters in length and weigh up to 70 kg (150 pounds). The vegetable has a rough skin which is difficult to peel, but which softens after heating. The skins vary in color from dark brown to light pink." "In the United States, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), especially those with orange flesh, are often referred to as "yams". Sweet potatoes labeled as "yams" are widely available in markets such as those that serve Asian or Caribbean communities. In contrast, people in New Zealand sometimes use the word "yam" to refer to the oca (Oxalis tuberosa), and the word "kumara" to refer to the sweet potato." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_%28vegetable%29 3) "The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), commonly called a yam in parts of the United States (especially in the southern and western portions of the country; this terminology causes some confusion with true yams), is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (Solanum tuberosum). It is even more distantly related to the true yam (Dioscorea species) which is native to Africa and Asia. Thus, a sweet potato and a yam are in fact different foods." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato

In the USA many stores call sweet potatoes, 'yams' but they are really sweet potatoes. And I've seen some that call the really orange ones yams and the yellow fleshed ones sweet potatoes but again, they are all sweet potatoes, just different varieties. Yams are something altogether different. True yams are starchier, closer to a hard stringy potato than a sweet potato. They can be found in some ethnic stores and a few markets right along side sweet potatoes but you would never confuse the two visually. The yams look uninviting rough and dry.

it st he same thing dude

The sweet potato is a potato and the yam is a vine yo...

Several decades ago when orange flesh sweet potatoes were introduced in the southern United States producers and shippers desired to distinguish them from the more traditional white flesh types. The African word "nyami" referring to the starchy, edible root of the Dioscorea genus of plants was adopted in its English form, "yam". Yams in the U.S. are actually sweet potatoes with relatively moist texture and orange flesh. Although the terms are generally used interchangeably, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that the label "yam" always be accompanied by "sweet potato." Yam or sweet potato, what in the world is it? Many people use these terms interchangeably both in conversation and in cooking, but they are really two different vegetables. Sweet Potatoes Popular in the American South, these yellow or orange tubers are elongated with ends that taper to a point and are of two dominant types. The paler-skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh which is not sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato. The darker-skinned variety (which is most often called "yam" in error) has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a vivid orange, sweet flesh and a moist texture. Current popular sweet potato varieties include Goldrush, Georgia Red, Centennial, Puerto Rico, New Jersey, and Velvet. Yams The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Slowly becoming more common in US markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, with over 150 varieties available worldwide. Generally sweeter than than the sweet potato, this tuber can grow over seven feet in length. The word yam comes from African words njam, nyami, or djambi, meaning "to eat," and was first recorded in America in 1676. The yam tuber has a brown or black skin which resembles the bark of a tree and off-white, purple or red flesh, depending on the variety. They are at home growing in tropical climates, primarily in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Yams contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes and have a higher moisture content. They are also marketed by their Spanish names, boniato and ñame.

Many people think they are the same thing however they are not even related. the yam is sweeter than a sweet potato oddly enough and is colored differently. Sweet potatoes are popular in the american south where yams are more of a latin favorite.

I Yam sure Ruby is right!

Several decades ago when orange flesh sweet potatoes were introduced in the southern United States producers and shippers desired to distinguish them from the more traditional white flesh types. The African word "nyami" referring to the starchy, edible root of the Dioscorea genus of plants was adopted in its English form, "yam". Yams in the U.S. are actually sweet potatoes with relatively moist texture and orange flesh. Although the terms are generally used interchangeably, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that the label "yam" always be accompanied by "sweet potato." Yam or sweet potato, what in the world is it? Many people use these terms interchangeably both in conversation and in cooking, but they are really two different vegetables. Sweet Potatoes Popular in the American South, these yellow or orange tubers are elongated with ends that taper to a point and are of two dominant types. The paler-skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh which is not sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato. The darker-skinned variety (which is most often called "yam" in error) has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a vivid orange, sweet flesh and a moist texture. Current popular sweet potato varieties include Goldrush, Georgia Red, Centennial, Puerto Rico, New Jersey, and Velvet. Yams The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Slowly becoming more common in US markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, with over 150 varieties available worldwide. Generally sweeter than than the sweet potato, this tuber can grow over seven feet in length. The word yam comes from African words njam, nyami, or djambi, meaning "to eat," and was first recorded in America in 1676. The yam tuber has a brown or black skin which resembles the bark of a tree and off-white, purple or red flesh, depending on the variety. They are at home growing in tropical climates, primarily in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Yams contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes and have a higher moisture content. They are also marketed by their Spanish names, boniato and ñame.

i gave points, but i cannot give more than 2 yet sry.