What is the difference between header and connector when it relates to motherboard, especially when it talks about i/o connectors?

Question

What is the difference between a header and a connector? So I have been trying to find the answer to this, but I am unable to get a clear answer. I have read https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/connector-basics/pin-header-connectors and Wikipedia articles on computer fan and pin header to try to figure out the answer, but I am more confused. I also read the links in the wiki. When I was browsing the websites of companies that sell motherboards, I cam across the term "CPU connector" and "CPU header." For example, this link on https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B360-A-PRO/Specification says it has a "CPU fan connector" while here on https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Motherboard/B360-HD3-rev-10#sp it says that the mobo comes with "CPU fan header." Does a connector plug into a header? I know headers, from the Wikipedia articles on computer fan that the 3 pin Molex connector is female, but then what is the male pin header that is talked about on the Wikipedia article?

Answer 1

A header is a shortened form of pin header. The connector is generally what plugs into the header. Lots of these user manuals are written by people who's native language is not english and therefore may use the terms interchangeably, and aren't necessarily incorrect. Technically a header is a connector by definition, but a connector is not necessarily a header.

Answer 2

What is the difference between a header and a connector?

That's an apples to oranges comparison. Or more like produce (or fruit) to oranges.

Connectors are a broad category of electrical components for attaching cables or wires to circuit boards or another cable/wire.
Note that for an electronics parts retailer such as Digikey or Mouser, connectors are one the top-level product categories.

A header is a specific style of (rectangular) connector, and probably most commonly associated by users of PC motherboards with the breakaway style of male pins.

So you can refer to a header (or socket or slot or jack or plug or receptacle) as a connector and still be correct and technically accurate, but you would actually be be ambiguous.