“Imply” and “infer” are often confused because they both involve the communication of information, but they have distinct meanings and uses. Understanding the difference between these two verbs can enhance your writing clarity and accuracy.
The verb "imply" means to suggest, hint at, or indicate something indirectly. When you imply something, you convey a message without stating it outright. The speaker or writer does the implying.
“The teacher’s tone implied that there would be a surprise quiz tomorrow.” — In this sentence, the teacher indirectly suggested that a quiz might happen without explicitly saying so.
“His smile implied that he was happy with the outcome.” — The smile hints at the person’s satisfaction.
Hint, suggest, indicate, insinuate, signal, allude to.
State, declare, announce, proclaim.
The verb "infer" means to deduce or conclude information from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements. When you infer something, you draw a conclusion based on what you have read or heard. The listener or reader does the inferring.
“From the way she talked about her project, I inferred that she was passionate about it.” — The speaker concluded the person's passion based on her manner of speaking.
“The detective inferred that the suspect was lying from his inconsistent statements.” — The detective deduced the suspect’s dishonesty from the evidence provided.
Deduce, conclude, reason, gather, understand, interpret.
Guess, speculate, assume, ignore.
Words like "imply" and "infer" are easy to confuse because they are related processes of communication. However, these verbs differ significantly in who performs the action—implying is done by the speaker or writer, while inferring is done by the listener or reader. This confusion can often arise from their shared Latin root, "inferre," meaning “to bring in” or “to carry in.”
To remember the difference between "imply" and "infer," think about the direction of the communication:
Imply: The information is being sent out. (Speaker/Writer)
Infer: The information is being taken in. (Listener/Reader)
Imply:
“She didn’t say it directly, but her tone implied dissatisfaction.”
“The advertisement implied that the product was of higher quality.”
Infer:
“Based on his actions, we can infer that he is not interested in joining the project.”
“I inferred from her hesitant response that she wasn’t sure about the decision.”
a. True
b. False
a. Suggest
b. Hint
c. Deduce
d. State
a. Homographs
b. Homophones
c. Homonyms
d. Related in meaning
a. To suggest indirectly
b. To state clearly
c. To hint at something
d. To indicate without stating
a. To suggest indirectly
b. To hint at something
c. To conclude from evidence
d. To indicate without stating
a. “The manager’s email inferred that there would be a meeting.”
b. “From the evidence, the jury inferred the defendant’s guilt.”
c. “She implied that she would attend the party.”
d. “A and C”
1. b. False
2. c. Deduce
3. d. Related in meaning
4. b. To state clearly
5. c. To conclude from evidence
6. b. From the evidence, the jury inferred the defendant’s guilt.
By understanding and correctly using "imply" and "infer," you can enhance the precision and clarity of your communication. Remember, the speaker implies, and the listener infers.