What is the difference between metres cube and cubic metres?

Question

In one of my junior classes, my Mathematics teacher, while teaching Mensuration, told us that metres square and square metres have a difference between them and metres cube and cubic metres too have a difference between them and that we should not mix them up. When i asked her the reason behind them being different, she told me that she would discuss about that later on but she forgot and i too forgot to remind her. Now i remember about all this. Why are they different and what is the difference between them. I have searched the internet but could not find anything valuable.

Answer 1

They have the same meaning.

What is sometimes confused is saying "four metres squared" versus "four square metres". The first is squaring the quantity four metres so you get an answer of $16m^2$ while the second is just a way of saying $4m^2$.

Answer 2

"Square metre" means area, while "metre square" means a square having all sides 1 metre.

So, "8 square metres" is an area, while an "8-metre square" means a square of side 8 metres (and area 64 square metres).