Hi
This is not something most producers have a problem with, but I was shocked to find out there are people who do not understand this concept. Many inexperienced people call reverb and delays both echo. While the inexperienced is partially right in calling both an echo, there are differences. I will shortly explain.
First, let's start with their similarities. Both audio phenomena operate on a similar basis - reflections. Audio will bounce from a surface in a specific way, depending on the density, porosity and variability of the materials surface. If the surface is flat and dense, it is likely to cause a relatively Unchanged reflection of the signal. Like self-reflection when you throw the crushing reality of your crippling nicotine addiction at yourself.
We differentiate between a few types of reflections. Primary reflections that have bounced off a surface after leaving the source once. Secondary, that are a reflection of the reflection and tertiary that are the reflection of a reflection of a reflection and so on. That's almost just as many self-reflections as you need to recognise that you're in denial about your smoking addiction.
Both reverb and echo do this. However, reverb works on the principle of several reflections that are unevenly spaced and appear almost immediately. That means the reflective surface isn't too far from the source. Additionally, the 2nd-3rd degree reflections are not evenly spaced...
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... Just imagine a brutalist concrete building where there are many corners and nooks and an uneven ceiling where you really want to light a cig, but you shouldn't for your health. The sound will bounce around in all kinds of directions, uncontrollably. Reverb is like quitting smoking in denial. You say: "I need to quit smoking, but..." Where the "but" are the reverb reflections. Unclear, not straight, they reflect immediately, so there's no depth to your statement and you have no clear path so your information and determination just scatters and diffuses into a mess.
Also, yes, diffusion are just irregular reflections that obscure the original signal.
On the other hand we have echo, or delay. Delay works on the principle of relatively even reflections that reach you after a much longer period - the reflective surfaces are farther away, larger, evenly shaped, more "homogeneous", like a lake near a cliff. The waves of the source must also hit the reflector in the right angle. The reflection will therefore be almost analogous to the original source. It's similar to stating: "I need to quit smoking" the information stays clear, specific, has depth and length, even if it'll take a long time to see results, there is no motivational scattering, just your own words and actions looping in your own mind.
In digital effects we also know feedback. This means that the wet signal, so, for example the secondary reflections are once again replayed through the effect algorithm (you theoretically get tertiary reflections that work the same way as the secondary.) This is similar to the smoker's anxiety feedback loop. The fact that you smoke gives you stress and to relieve the stress you smoke. What you get is only closer to COPD and you accumulate gunk in your lungs, the same way feedback provides your reverb and delay more gunk that elongates them. And that is it.
Lesson's over. Now you can relax. No. Put the box and the lighter down, what the hell did I say before?!