Cool MateHurt vs Injury
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Hurt
Top 1,000 (very common)A2verb
Injury
Top 2,000 (common)A2noun
Most common: Hurt
| Hurt | Injury | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/hɜːt/","/hɜːts/","/ˈhɜːtɪŋ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/hɜːrt/","/hɜːrts/","/ˈhɜːrtɪŋ/"]/ | 🇬🇧 /["/ˈɪndʒəri/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ˈɪndʒəri/"]/ |
| Meaning | to cause pain or damage to someone or something | Harm or damage to a part of the body. |
| Example | I accidentally hurt my knee while playing soccer. | He sustained a serious injury during the football match. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | A2 | A2 |
| Part of speech | verb | noun |
| Collocations | badly, seriously, actually, badly, a lot, really, be going to, begin to, badly, deeply, really, attempt to, try to, want to | appalling, bad, catastrophic, run, series, spate, do yourself, incur, pick up, happen (to somebody), occur, result from something, problems, site, time, because of injury, through injury, with injury, a claim for injury, a risk of injury, appalling, bad, catastrophic, run, series, spate, do yourself, incur, pick up, happen (to somebody), occur, result from something, problems, site, time, because of injury, through injury, with injury, a claim for injury, a risk of injury |
| Antonyms | heal, comfort, soothe | healing, recovery |
| Common mistakes | Confused with 'hurted' instead of 'hurt', Using 'hurt' as a noun instead of a verb, Mixing up 'hurt' with 'harmed' in contexts where they don't mean the same | Confusing 'injury' with 'illness' — injury refers to physical harm, while illness refers to sickness., Using 'injury' as a verb instead of the noun form., Saying 'injury on' instead of 'injury to' when describing the affected body part. |
| Usage notes | Use 'hurt' when talking about physical or emotional pain. It can be used in both formal and informal contexts but avoid it in overly formal writing. Saying someone 'hurt my feelings' is common. | Used commonly in medical contexts, discussions about sports, or personal accidents. Not typically used in formal writing unless in a medical report. |
Frequently asked questions: Hurt vs Injury
What's the difference between Hurt and Injury?
Hurt: to cause pain or damage to someone or something Injury: Harm or damage to a part of the body.
Which is more common: Hurt and Injury?
Hurt is the most common in everyday English.
Are Hurt and Injury the same CEFR level?
Hurt: A2, Injury: A2 on the CEFR scale.
What part of speech are Hurt and Injury?
Hurt: verb, Injury: noun.
Can you show an example of each?
Hurt: I accidentally hurt my knee while playing soccer. Injury: He sustained a serious injury during the football match.
Can I use Hurt and Injury interchangeably?
Not always. Hurt and Injury 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.