Cool MateInvestigating vs Looking up
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Investigating
Beyond 10,000 (less common)
Looking up
Top 1,000 (very common)
Most common: Looking up
| Investigating | Looking up | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //ɪnˈvɛstɪɡeɪtɪŋ//🇺🇸 //ɪnˈvɛstɪɡeɪtɪŋ// | 🇬🇧 //ˈlʊkɪŋ ʌp//🇺🇸 //ˈlʊkɪŋ ʌp// |
| Meaning | Looking into something to find out more about it. | Searching for information in a reference source. |
| Example | The police are investigating the recent theft in the area. | I was looking up the definition of the word. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Beyond 10,000 (less common) | Top 1,000 (very common) |
| Collocations | investigating a case, investigating further, investigating a situation, investigating options, actively investigating | looking up information, looking up a word, looking up data |
| Antonyms | ignoring, neglecting, overlooking | looking down, declining, worsening |
| Common mistakes | Confusing with 'invest' which relates to finance., Using 'investigating' in passive voice incorrectly., Omitting the object after 'investigating'. | Confused with 'looking at' (means observing instead of searching)., Using it in the wrong tense, e.g., 'looked up' for present actions., Omitting the object, e.g., saying only 'looking up' without what is being searched. |
| Usage notes | Often used in formal contexts like police work or research, but can also be informal when discussing casual inquiries. | Use 'looking up' in academic or casual contexts. It's suitable for searching facts, but not for casual conversation. |
See it in real clips
Frequently asked questions: Investigating vs Looking up
What's the difference between Investigating and Looking up?
Investigating: Looking into something to find out more about it. Looking up: Searching for information in a reference source.
Which is more common: Investigating and Looking up?
Looking up is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Investigating: The police are investigating the recent theft in the area. Looking up: I was looking up the definition of the word.
Can I use Investigating and Looking up interchangeably?
Not always. Investigating and Looking up 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.