Cool MateEncourage vs Persuade
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Encourage
Top 1,000 (very common)B1verb
Persuade
Top 2,000 (common)B1verb
Most common: Encourage
| Encourage | Persuade | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ//🇺🇸 //ɪnˈkɜrɪdʒ// | 🇬🇧 //pəˈsweɪd//🇺🇸 //pərˈsweɪd// |
| Meaning | To make someone want to do something or feel confident. | To convince someone to do or believe something. |
| Example | Teachers always try to encourage their students to focus on their studies. | She was able to persuade him to join the team. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | B1 | B1 |
| Part of speech | verb | verb |
| Collocations | encourage someone to do something, encourage growth, encourage participation | persuade someone, persuade to do something, easily persuade, persuade against, attempt to persuade |
| Antonyms | discourage, dissuade | dissuade, discourage |
| Common mistakes | Using 'encourage' without an object (e.g. 'I encourage to study' instead of 'I encourage you to study')., Confusing with 'discourage' which means to make someone less confident., Using the wrong verb form after 'to' (e.g. 'encourage you study' instead of 'encourage you to study'). | Confused with 'convince'; 'persuade' implies a suggestion while 'convince' implies certainty., Using 'persuade' without an object; it always needs someone to persuade., Mixing the prepositions; the correct structure is 'persuade someone to do something'. |
| Usage notes | Used when you want to support someone in taking action or improving their situation. It is appropriate in both casual and formal contexts. | Use in both formal and informal contexts when trying to influence someone's thinking or actions. Avoid when discussing forced actions. |
Frequently asked questions: Encourage vs Persuade
What's the difference between Encourage and Persuade?
Encourage: To make someone want to do something or feel confident. Persuade: To convince someone to do or believe something.
Which is more common: Encourage and Persuade?
Encourage is the most common in everyday English.
Are Encourage and Persuade the same CEFR level?
Encourage: B1, Persuade: B1 on the CEFR scale.
Can I use Encourage and Persuade interchangeably?
Not always. Encourage and Persuade are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.