三个单词均有司法救济的含义。在美国，它们的区别在于 relief主要是指衡平法上的救济，如以injunction (强制令）或 specific performance (合同或协议的强制履行）等而非损害赔偿 金（damages)所进行的救济。remedy则主要指普通法上的救济 (Relief has historically been commonly used in the context of equity，and remedy in the context of law[1])。如：the most common remedies are judgment that plaintiffs are entitled to collect sums of money from defendants (注：sums of money 为普通法上的救济）and orders to defendants to refrain from their wrongful conduct or to undo its consequences (注：orders为衡平法上的救济）。而在加拿大，relief 则无此种限制：“relief: Includes every species of relief, whether by way of damages, payment of money, injunction, declaration, restitution of an incorporeal right，return of land or chattels or otherwise[2]"。相比之下，redress既可指衡平法和普通法上的救济， 实际上，其可用于替代 remedy 和 relief，如 Black's Law Dictionary 对 redress 下的定义便是：remedy or relief[3]。又如：Money damages, as opposed to equitable relief, is the only redress available.(金钱赔偿，而非衡平法上的救济，才是目前唯一可行的救济手段），此时的redress指普通法上的救济，等同remedy.

[1] Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, A Dictionary of Modem Legal Usage, 2nd edition, at p. 752, Oxford University Press Ltd. (1995).

[2] Cf. Daphne A. Dukelow, The Dictionary of Canadian Law, at p. 908，Carswell Publication (1991).

[3] Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition, at p. 1263，West Group (1999).