The words assure and ensure often causes confusion to the native English speakers, as to where to use them. To assure someone is to remove someone’s doubts. To ensure something is to make sure it happens—to guarantee it. While we use the verb ‘assure’ where we want to make a promise to someone regarding something, so as to help them overcome their anxiety or doubts. To assure is to remove doubt, or confidently tell someone about something.
In the same way, we use the word ‘ensure’ if we want to make sure that something will or will not take place in any case. It means to make certain a thing will (or won’t) happen. If you want to make something more certain to someone or something, then most likely you’ll say sentences with the words “assure” and “ensure.”
Difference between Assure and Ensure
ASSURE
- Assure refers to make a promise to another person, so as to dispel their doubts, in order to convince them or gain their confidence.
- The word ‘assure’ is used to commit someone that something will happen for sure or will be true, so as to remove doubts and confusion.
- The verb ‘assure’ means to make a commitment to another person and tell something with full confidence, to help them overcome their doubts and anxiety in order to make him/her worry less. It is also used to give some information positively or to convince someone.
- The word ‘assure’ is applied we promise something to someone (person).
- When it comes to usage, assure is used to convince someone positively on a particular matter to relieve their doubts or give a commitment.
- Examples: I assure you that you will be fine by Monday morning. The lawyer assured his client, that he will get justice.
ENSURE
- Ensure is used when we guarantee something that it will or will not be happening, in any situation.
- The word ‘ensure’ is a verb, which can be used in situations when we make sure that something will or will not happen.
- To ensure something, means we actually guarantee, the happening or non-happening of an event. It is just to make sure, that something which we confirm, actually takes place.
- The word ‘assure’ is used when we talk about something, i.e. a situation, which will or won’t take place certainly.
- When it comes to usage, to ensure means to take guarantee that something happens or does not happen for sure or be the case.
- Examples: The traffic police ensure that no one breaks the traffic rules. The auditor ensures that the financial statement of the company represents a true and fair view.
