Assure vs. Ensure: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Published on November 7, 2023
Assure: comfort someone as a certainty; Ensure: make certain something will occur.
Key Differences
"Assure" typically involves giving someone confidence in the certainty of an outcome, often about a concern they have. "Ensure," however, is about taking action to make certain that a specific outcome happens.
When you assure someone, you're seeking to remove doubt or anxiety in a person's mind. On the flip side, when you ensure something, you're guaranteeing an outcome through your actions or preparations.
Assuring is more about providing emotional support or peace of mind, indicating a communicative act directed at someone's psychological state. Ensuring is more operational, indicating actions directed at effecting a certain outcome.
To assure is to tell someone something positively to dispel any doubts, while to ensure is to make sure something will or won’t happen by taking necessary actions.
Using "assure" requires an object person to whom the assurance is made, while "ensure" requires an object thing or event whose certainty or outcome is being secured.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Primary function
Emotional support, dispelling doubts
Making an outcome certain
Requires
An object person
An object event or outcome
Context
Subjective, psychological
Objective, operational
Connection
Interpersonal
Task or result-oriented
Action
Verbal commitment, promise
Physical or preparatory action
ADVERTISEMENT
Assure and Ensure Definitions
Assure
To inform positively, dispel doubts.
I assure you, everything will be fine.
Ensure
To be certain or guarantee (something).
This letter will ensure our communication stays private.
Assure
To make something certain to happen.
This strategy assures our victory.
Ensure
To make sure or certain.
Steps were taken to ensure accuracy in the report.
Assure
To promise or say with confidence.
I can assure you of his loyalty.
Ensure
To make something inevitable.
Proper planning ensures success.
Assure
To make safe or secure.
Measures are taken to assure their safety.
Ensure
To make certain that (something) shall occur or be the case.
She ensured she locked the door.
Assure
To inform positively, as to remove doubt
Assured us that the train would be on time.
Ensure
To make sure or certain; insure
Our precautions ensured our safety. See Usage Note at assure.
Assure
To cause to feel sure
A gesture that assured her of his devotion.
Ensure
(transitive) To make a pledge to (someone); to promise, guarantee (someone of something); to assure.
Assure
To give confidence to; reassure.
Ensure
(intransitive) To make sure or certain of something (usually some future event or condition).
I use an alarm clock to ensure that I get up on time.
Assure
To make certain; ensure
"Nothing in history assures the success of our civilization" (Herbert J. Muller).
Ensure
To make sure. See Insure.
Assure
To make safe or secure
"We would rather forgo certain benefits in order to be assured against certain evils" (Alfred E. Smith).
Ensure
To betroth.
Assure
Chiefly British To insure, as against loss.
Ensure
Make certain of;
This nest egg will ensure a nice retirement for us
Preparation will guarantee success!
Assure
(transitive) To make sure and secure; ensure.
Ensure
Be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something;
He verified that the valves were closed
See that the curtains are closed
Control the quality of the product
Assure
To give (someone) confidence in the trustworthiness of (something).
I assure you that the program will work smoothly when we demonstrate it to the client.
He assured of his commitment to her happiness.
Ensure
To secure or guarantee.
The reservation ensures we have a seat.
Assure
(obsolete) To guarantee, promise (to do something).
Assure
(transitive) To reassure.
Assure
To make sure or certain; to render confident by a promise, declaration, or other evidence.
His promise that thy seed shall bruise our foe . . . Assures me that the bitterness of deathIs past, and we shall live.
Assure
To declare to, solemnly; to assert to (any one) with the design of inspiring belief or confidence.
I dare assure thee that no enemyShall ever take alive the noble Brutus.
Assure
To confirm; to make certain or secure.
And it shall be assured to him.
And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
Assure
To affiance; to betroth.
Assure
To insure; to covenant to indemnify for loss, or to pay a specified sum at death. See Insure.
Assure
Make certain of;
This nest egg will ensure a nice retirement for us
Preparation will guarantee success!
Assure
Inform positively and with certainty and confidence;
I tell you that man is a crook!
Assure
Assure somebody of the truth of something with the intention of giving the listener confidence;
I assured him that traveling to Cambodia was safe
Assure
Be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something;
He verified that the valves were closed
See that the curtains are closed
Control the quality of the product
Assure
Cause to feel sure; give reassurance to;
The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe
Assure
Make a promise or commitment
Assure
To give confidence in the reliability of something.
The certificate assures the product's quality.
FAQs
Does "assure" provide emotional comfort?
Yes, it often aims to comfort or relieve doubt.
Is "assure" interpersonal?
Typically, it involves direct communication.
Is "ensure" about future outcomes?
Primarily, it's to secure a future condition or event.
Can "ensure" refer to preventing something?
Yes, it can ensure something doesn't happen.
Can "assure" guarantee an outcome?
It's more about promise or confidence than guarantee.
Does "assure" require an object person?
Yes, someone is assured.
Can "assure" be formal?
Yes, especially in professional or serious contexts.
Is "ensure" about certainty?
Yes, it's making an outcome certain.
Can "assure" be used for objects?
No, "assure" is used for people.
Does "ensure" require action?
Yes, actions or measures to guarantee something.
Is "ensure" used without a direct object?
Rarely, it usually ensures something specific.
Is "assure" a commitment?
Often, it's a form of personal commitment.
Can "ensure" relate to safety?
Yes, it can ensure safety or security.
Does "assure" involve action?
It's more about speech or communication.
Can "ensure" be about quality?
Yes, it can ensure quality or standards.
Does "ensure" affect the future?
Yes, it's about influencing future outcomes.
Is "ensure" passive?
No, it's about active certainty of outcomes.
Does "assure" imply certainty?
It conveys confidence more than absolute certainty.
Can "ensure" be a guarantee?
Yes, it often acts as a guarantee.
Is "assure" subjective?
Often, as it's about perception or feeling.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
