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Imply vs. Infer: What's the Difference?
Quick answer
- To imply is to suggest something without saying it directly.
- To infer is to work something out from what was said or shown.
The difference
Imply belongs to the speaker or the text; infer belongs to the listener or reader. The same moment can hold both: a manager implies that budgets are tight, and you infer that hiring is frozen.
Imply
- Usually
- verb
- Think
- hint
- Meaning
- To suggest something indirectly rather than stating it.
- Example
- Her silence implied she disagreed.
Infer
- Usually
- verb
- Think
- conclude
- Meaning
- To reach a conclusion from evidence or hints rather than explicit statement.
- Example
- From her silence, I inferred she disagreed.
When to use imply
Use imply for the side that sends the message, a person, a report, a result.
- He never said no; he implied it.
- The data implies a slowdown, but it doesn't prove one.
When to use infer
Use infer for the side that receives the message and draws a conclusion from it.
- Readers inferred from the tone that the deal had collapsed.
- Don't infer too much from one quarter of results.
Remember it
Imply goes out. Infer comes in.
If you are the one speaking or writing, you imply. If you are the one listening or reading, you infer.
Common mix-up
Incorrect: Are you inferring that I lied?
Correct: Are you implying that I lied?
The other person is the one hinting, so they imply; you infer.
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Think you've got it?
The report never says the project failed, but it _____ it.
From the empty desks, we _____ that layoffs had happened.
Which sentence is correct?
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