From what I've seen in the posts, the biggest "confusion" seems to be related to the shocking amount of native English speakers misunderstanding the definition of the word "within".
The flight you add in your application is your tentative or proposed travel. But there's no requirement to actually take that flight. Once you get the DTV you'll have 5 years to enter Thailand.
I never said it's "the same". If that's what you got from my post, then you've missed my point entirely. Essentially most people confuse familiarity with knowledge.
because the practical effect is the same and the difference lies mainly in the terminology and the underlying agreements between Thailand and countries for whom the visa exemption applies. There is no pre-approval required and it's granted at the border upon entry (luckily without payment as many visa on arrivals require).
Many other surrounding countries use "visa on arrival" so it's natural for first-timers to Thailand to assume the terminology is the same. In any event, you know exactly what OP meant by it 🤣