u/Double-Hyena-7967

Going through all my chords and learning them at the moment

Is there any practical reason to distinguish between #11 and b5 chords when playing or do you think of them the same?

I understand the theory behind each but I don't want to be thinking of that when I play

The only example I could really give would be with the #11. Would you ever include the fifth of the chord to highlight that it is a #11 as opposed to a b5?

If not, do you consider both chords as equivalent to one another?

The only other difference between the two I can think of would be their inversions, it's reasonable to put the altered fifth in the bass but not the #11