Bury vs Hide

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Bury

Top 1,000 (very common) B1 verb

Hide

Top 1,000 (very common) A2 verb

	Bury	Hide
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 /["/ˈberi/","/ˈberiz/","/ˈberid/","/ˈberiɪŋ/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈberi/","/ˈberiz/","/ˈberid/","/ˈberiɪŋ/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/haɪd/","/haɪdz/","/hɪd/","/ˈhɪdn/","/ˈhaɪdɪŋ/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/haɪd/","/haɪdz/","/hɪd/","/ˈhɪdn/","/ˈhaɪdɪŋ/"]/
Meaning	To put something in the ground and cover it with soil.	To put something in a place where it cannot be seen.
Example	She decided to bury the time capsule in her backyard.	She decided to hide behind the curtain during the game.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 1,000 (very common)	Top 1,000 (very common)
CEFR level	B1	A2
Part of speech	verb	verb
Collocations	be dead and buried, bury somebody alive, lie buried, deep, underground, completely, partially, be buried alive, buried beneath something, buried under something, completely, partially, be buried alive, buried beneath something, buried under something, deep, deeply	away, quickly, easily, prefer to, want to, among, behind, beneath, carefully hidden, completely hidden, well hidden, away, quickly, easily, prefer to, want to, among, behind, beneath, carefully hidden, completely hidden, well hidden, away, quickly, easily, prefer to, want to, among, behind, beneath, carefully hidden, completely hidden, well hidden, well, completely, barely, be able to, be unable to, try to, from, keep something hidden, previously hidden, remain hidden
Antonyms	unearth, dig up	reveal, show, display
Common mistakes	Confused with 'barry', a name., Using 'bury' with an item that's not meant to be hidden., Saying 'burying' when referring to something that isn’t actually covered.	'Hide' is often confused with 'secrete' which has a different meaning., Learners may forget to use an object, e.g., saying 'I hide' instead of 'I hide the book.', Misuse of tenses, e.g., saying 'I hided the keys' instead of 'I hid the keys.'
Usage notes	Use 'bury' when referring to interring something, like a body or treasure, underground. Avoid in formal contexts when discussing burial rights or graves.	Commonly used in everyday conversation. Avoid in formal writing. Can imply physical hiding or keeping information secret.

See it in real clips

Peaky Blinders › S1 E1

Bury me on a hill,

Game Of Thrones › S1 E1

And if they die, you will bury them yourselves.

Peaky Blinders › S1 E1

Bury me on a hill,

Game Of Thrones › S1 E1

And if they die, you will bury them yourselves.

Bury

Why should I hide who I am?

Band Of Brothers › S1 E1

"Hide tidee, Christ almighty Who the hell are we?

so he hid it in one place he knew he could hide something-- his ass.

Why should I hide who I am?

Band Of Brothers › S1 E1

"Hide tidee, Christ almighty Who the hell are we?

Hide

Frequently asked questions: Bury vs Hide

What's the difference between Bury and Hide?

Bury: To put something in the ground and cover it with soil. Hide: To put something in a place where it cannot be seen.

Which is more advanced: Bury and Hide?

Bury is the highest level, at B1, on the CEFR scale.

Are Bury and Hide the same CEFR level?

Bury: B1, Hide: A2 on the CEFR scale.

What part of speech are Bury and Hide?

Bury: verb, Hide: verb.

Can you show an example of each?

Bury: She decided to bury the time capsule in her backyard. Hide: She decided to hide behind the curtain during the game.

Can I use Bury and Hide interchangeably?

Not always. Bury and Hide 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.