Java: Difference in usage between Thread.interrupted() and Thread.isInterrupted()?

interrupted() is static and checks the current thread. isInterrupted() is an instance method which checks the Thread object that it is called on.

A common error is to call a static method on an instance.

Thread myThread = ...;
if (myThread.interrupted()) {} // WRONG! This might not be checking myThread.
if (myThread.isInterrupted()) {} // Right!

Another difference is that interrupted() also clears the status of the current thread. In other words, if you call it twice in a row and the thread is not interrupted between the two calls, the second call will return false even if the first call returned true.

The Javadocs tell you important things like this; use them often!

If you use interrupted, what you're asking is "Have I been interrupted since the last time I asked?"

isInterrupted tells you whether the thread you call it on is currently interrupted.