Injury vs Wound

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

Injury

Top 2,000 (common) A2 noun

Wound

Top 2,000 (common) B2 noun

	Injury	Wound
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 /["/ˈɪndʒəri/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈɪndʒəri/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/wuːnd/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/wuːnd/"]/
Meaning	Harm or damage to a part of the body.	An injury to the body, often involving a break in the skin.
Example	He sustained a serious injury during the football match.	The soldier received a serious wound during the battle.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 2,000 (common)	Top 2,000 (common)
CEFR level	A2	B2
Part of speech	noun	noun
Collocations	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	deep, serious, severe, inflict, receive, suffer, close, heal, bleed, care, healing, wound in, wound to
Antonyms	healing, recovery	heal, cure
Common mistakes	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.	Confused with 'wound' as in past tense of 'wind'., Using 'wound' instead of 'injury' in non-medical contexts., Mispronouncing it as 'hownd' instead of 'woond'.
Usage notes	Used commonly in medical contexts, discussions about sports, or personal accidents. Not typically used in formal writing unless in a medical report.	Used in both formal and informal contexts. More common in medical situations or when talking about injuries. Avoid using it lightly, as it can sound serious.

See it in real clips

The Pitt › S1 E1

Degloving injury, right lower leg

Injury

Wade, you got an exit wound.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms › S1 E1

We've forgotten men who reaped much more than a wound.

Wade, you got an exit wound.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms › S1 E1

We've forgotten men who reaped much more than a wound.

Wound

Frequently asked questions: Injury vs Wound

What's the difference between Injury and Wound?

Injury: Harm or damage to a part of the body. Wound: An injury to the body, often involving a break in the skin.

Which is more advanced: Injury and Wound?

Wound is the highest level, at B2, on the CEFR scale.

Are Injury and Wound the same CEFR level?

Injury: A2, Wound: B2 on the CEFR scale.

What part of speech are Injury and Wound?

Injury: noun, Wound: noun.

Can you show an example of each?

Injury: He sustained a serious injury during the football match. Wound: The soldier received a serious wound during the battle.

Can I use Injury and Wound interchangeably?

Not always. Injury and Wound 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.