Cook vs Make

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

Cook

Top 1,000 (very common) A1 verb

Make

Top 1,000 (very common) A1

	Cook	Make
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 /["/kʊk/","/kʊks/","/kʊkt/","/ˈkʊkɪŋ/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/kʊk/","/kʊks/","/kʊkt/","/ˈkʊkɪŋ/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/meɪk/","/meɪks/","/meɪd/","/ˈmeɪkɪŋ/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/meɪk/","/meɪks/","/meɪd/","/ˈmeɪkɪŋ/"]/
Meaning	To prepare food by heating it.	to create or build something
Example	I love to cook Italian food on the weekends.	I want to make a cake for your birthday.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 1,000 (very common)	Top 1,000 (very common)
CEFR level	A1	A1
Part of speech	verb
Collocations	fully, thoroughly, well, be cooked through, freshly cooked, fully, thoroughly, well, be cooked through, freshly cooked	make a decision, make a choice, make an effort, make a phone call, make a plan
Antonyms	burn, destroy	destroy, break, lose
Common mistakes	Confused with 'bake' — baking is a specific type of cooking., Saying 'the cook' when meaning to refer to the food prepared — clarify to avoid misunderstanding., Using 'cook' in passive forms inaccurately, such as 'the meal is cooked by' instead of 'the cook cooks the meal.'	Confused with 'do' in phrases, e.g., 'make a mistake' vs 'do a mistake', Incorrect object usage, e.g., 'make a decision' vs 'make decision', Using 'make' with inanimate objects when 'create' is more suitable
Usage notes	Use 'cook' when talking about making meals. It's common in everyday conversation. Avoid using it in very formal writing unless discussing culinary skills.	Commonly used in everyday situations. Avoid using in highly formal writing; instead, use 'create' or 'produce'.

See it in real clips

Agent Carter › S1 E1

Mr. Jarvis, that cook with the spoons...

Breaking Bad › S1 E1

You wouldn't cook in one of these.

Breaking Bad › S1 E6

So you're the cook, huh?

Agent Carter › S1 E1

Mr. Jarvis, that cook with the spoons...

Breaking Bad › S1 E1

You wouldn't cook in one of these.

Cook

Band Of Brothers › S1 E1

Winters scrambles eggs while the rest of us make the big jump with Sobel.

Breaking Bad › S1 E7

I'll make damn sure she doesn't.

Agent Carter › S1 E1

I'll make you some tea.

Band Of Brothers › S1 E1

Winters scrambles eggs while the rest of us make the big jump with Sobel.

Breaking Bad › S1 E7

I'll make damn sure she doesn't.

Make

Frequently asked questions: Cook vs Make

What's the difference between Cook and Make?

Cook: To prepare food by heating it. Make: to create or build something

Are Cook and Make the same CEFR level?

Cook: A1, Make: A1 on the CEFR scale.

Can you show an example of each?

Cook: I love to cook Italian food on the weekends. Make: I want to make a cake for your birthday.

Can I use Cook and Make interchangeably?

Not always. Cook and Make 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.