You'd think that when dealing with something as simple and straightforward as water, there couldn't be any confusion. Water is water, right? Well, seems like this isn't so. Living in a time where information is accessible through small portable devices that we keep in our pockets, it's only natural that things just cease being simple -- they become tampered, enhanced and they require explanation. And water is not exempt from that.

You may have noticed when walking down the aisle of the grocery store that there are many options when it comes to carbonated water (also referred to as bubbly water, sparkling water, club soda, soda water and seltzer). And despite what you might think, this isn't just a difference of regional terminology; it isn't the Europeans calling it sparkling, the New Englanders seltzer and everyone else club soda. And then there's also tonic water -- what's that, anyway?

There's a real, bonafide difference between these types of water. And while the difference is slight, it's enough of one for the waters to merit their own name, and so it's worth getting to the bottom of. Click through the slideshow below to understand the difference.

Which water do you opt for? Leave a comment.

Mineral Water
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Sparkling mineral water comes from a natural spring which contains various minerals such as salts and sulfur compounds. It's defined by its "constant level and relative proportions of mineral and trace elements at the point of emergence from the source."

Minerals aren't added to this water and neither is carbonation. That means that the bubbles in these bottles are completely natural. You normally would drink this water as is (not mixed in a cocktail), since it's a tad expensive and has a slight mineral-y taste.