How does one know if she is pretty ot just cute?

"Cute" has always sounded like a term you'd use to describe an infant or a puppy dog. Stop worrying about it, you're probably really pretty. What separates someone from all the others is confidence. Don't strive to be "cute" (i.e. acting dumb) try to be beautiful (confident). It'll earn you a lot more respect in the future, even if all the idiots are concerned with being "cute" at the moment...