Imply vs. Infer
Imply and infer are often confused words in the English language. This is because we hear them used by others, but we don't fully understand what they mean, so we are prone to use them incorrectly. Let's take a close look at these two verbs, which are actually used in opposite situations, so that you will be prepared to use them correctly, without having to infer their meanings.
Imply is verb that means to strongly suggest. So, the speaker does not come right out and say something, but uses information to suggest a meaning instead.
1. The fact that the weatherman was wearing a raincoat and galoshes implied that it would rain today even before he said it.
2. Our teacher implied that we would have a quiz on Friday over the information by telling us to make sure we took good notes and then winking at us.
3. My mother used her "mom look" to imply that I needed to get to work cleaning my room.
Infer is a verb that means to conclude from evidence rather than having direct knowledge. So, when you infer you make an educated guess based on the information that you have.
1. Based on the mess that we found when we returned home, I inferred that we had been robbed, but we discovered that it was just our dog Chance who had caused the havoc.
2. From my teacher's tone of voice, I inferred that it was time to be quiet and pay attention to the lesson.
As you can see, imply and infer are used in nearly opposite situations. Imply is used when someone is trying to suggest information; infer is used when someone is drawing a conclusion from the information that they have.
1. Barbara implied that it was time for us to leave by looking at her watch, and I inferred that she was ready to go as well.
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