  Lie group theory was originally created more than 100 years ago as a tool for
solving ordinary and partial differential equations. In this article we review
the results of a much more recent program: the use of Lie groups to study
difference equations. We show that the mismatch between continuous symmetries
and discrete equations can be resolved in at least two manners. One is to use
generalized symmetries acting on solutions of difference equations, but leaving
the lattice invariant. The other is to restrict to point symmetries, but to
allow them to also transform the lattice.
