What is the difference between sharpshooter and sniper?

sharpshooter is just someone that's a good shot; sniper is someone who went to sniper school/is trained not only in long range marksmanship, but fieldcraft, concealment & stalking a target

was a squad DM (designated marksman) in Army, though I attended sniper school as well. Scout/Snipers operate more as an individual unit doing recon/surveillance, etc. mostly. DM's are skilled shooters within an infantry squad

I think a sharpshooter is someone who is proficient at accuracy over distance, where as a sniper is a more military term for someone proficient not just in the shooting but setting up the kill zone while maintaining concealment.

You could say police have sharp shooters but the army would have snipers.

as mentioned in other comments, at least for a fully technical, within the military set of definitions: a 'sharpshooter' is a qualification badge for a particular weapon(system); it's not even the highest grade. a 'sniper' is a job within the military.

e.g. any given person in the military could take the range test and qualify as any of marksman, sharpshooter, or expert for any particular firearm - pistols - m9, m1918, rifles/machine guns - the m16, the m204, m249, etc, etc. but only snipers will go to sniper school to learn about things like making ghillie suits, very long distance ballistics, and so on.

the origin of the name goes back to the american civil war where the more accurate riflemen were rated higher and issued the more expensive and less available rifles from a manufacturer called 'sharps'. so they were the ones to be sharps shooters.

I learned this in some show recently actually.

It’s the gun. That’s the difference.

Ability -> experienced -> professional.

I never made beyond expericed as a marksman. And never wanted to. Qualified on nearly everything though. In other words I had the ability to do everything.

A sharpshooter is a military qualification level for marksmanship. It's the mid ranking between marksman and expert. It isn't an actual combat role or position.
A sniper is an actual position and roll in combat who is trained as an precision marksmanship, camouflage and concealment, stealth, and target sighting. What most people think is a sharpshooter is actually and expert marksman and being a sniper is so much more than just being an expert marksman.

At least in the US use of the terms.

What wildbill said
Sniper is a hired professional whereas sharpshooter not necessarily
Imo

Sharpshooter has skills with a firearm, sniper that is a whole different world, requires many skills.

A sharpshooter is someone who is good at hitting a target with a rifle. A sniper is a military man who is not ONLY highly skilled in hitting a target with a rifle, but also highly trained in stealth and lethal planning.

Sharpshooter is mid-level markmanship ranking using a rifle. Sniper is a highly skilled shooter trained to kill from hidden locations.

A sharpshooter is entirely about marksmanship; think hitting an archery target. A sniper is about concealment and eliminating a target; killing someone from a hidden position

All snipers are sharpshooters, but not all sharpshooters are snipers. At least I hope not.

Snipers are military personal where as Sharpshooters are civilians 🙂

Isnt the same thing? Like swine,pork and pig?

About $50,000 per year