Phenol are more acidic in nature than alcohol Explain why?

Explanation

Out of alcohols and phenols, phenols are more acidic

(i) Phenol is a resonance hybrid of the following contributing structures :

Due to resonance, oxygen acquire some positive charge (II to IV). It will strongly attract the shared electrons of O-H bond towards itself and `H^(+)` ion is released.

Phenoxide ion is stabilised to a greater extent due to the dispersion of negative charge. Thus phenoxide ion is readily formed due to the dissociation of phenol. On the other hand neither alcohol nor alkoxide ion is resonance stabilised. Moreover alkyl group due to its + I effect increases the electron density on oxygen in alkoxide ion and thus destabilies it
`underset("Alcohol")(R-underset(ddot)(ddotO)-H) harr R rarr underset("Alkoxide ion")(underset(ddot)(ddotO) : +H^(+))`
Thus alcohols do not dissociate to give Hion easily. Hence, phenol are more acidic than alcohols.