Ensure or Insure?

Cybernaught · Oct 26, 2008

My Webster's lists these as follows:

ensure: to give security to: INSURE, GUARANTEE.

insure: 1. to provide or obtain insurance on or for: UNDERWRITE 2. to make certain: ENSURE.

I've always used ensure as a synonym for guarantee. For example, "Gary ensured that his mother would be paid back promptly." However, I sometimes see insure used in the same context. It seems that insure functions the same as ensure, but with the alternate definition of insuring, whereas ensuring can not count as insurance.

Ok, I'm confusing myself now... which is better to use?

Bufty · Oct 26, 2008

Ensure - to make certain that something will occur -is a clearer meaning for 'ensure'.

Insure - the act of insuring (connected with Insurance)

I use the above -like you - but I agree your interpretation of the alternative meanings only apparently working one way.

Maybe there's a long explanation for the confusion of the two.

Cybernaught said:
My Webster's lists these as follows:

ensure: to give security to: INSURE, GUARANTEE.

insure: 1. to provide or obtain insurance on or for: UNDERWRITE 2. to make certain: ENSURE.

I've always used ensure as a synonym for guarantee. For example, "Gary ensured that his mother would be paid back promptly." However, I sometimes see insure used in the same context. It seems that insure functions the same as ensure, but with the alternate definition of insuring, whereas ensuring can not count as insurance.

Ok, I'm confusing myself now... which is better to use?

stc · Oct 26, 2008

To eliminate the ambiguity you correctly point out [see below linked definitions], for clarity, why not:

--Paying money to another party for assuming financial risk: insure

--To make sure, certain, guarantee: ensure

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/insure
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ensure

And from this def:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/assure
Usage Note: Assure, ensure, and insure all mean "to make secure or certain." Only assure is used with reference to a person in the sense of "to set the mind at rest": assured the leader of his loyalty. Although ensure and insure are generally interchangeable, only insure is now widely used in American English in the commercial sense of "to guarantee persons or property against risk."

Key point: "insure" carries connotations re commercial financial risk, regardless of denotation re interchangeability with "ensure." This connotation might bubble in the reader's subconsciousness.

FennelGiraffe · Oct 26, 2008

Bufty said:
Maybe there's a long explanation for the confusion of the two.

In many American speech patterns, they're pronounced the same, which leads to spelling confusion. I imagine a great many people don't even realize they're two different words.

Cybernaught · Oct 26, 2008

stc said:
To eliminate the ambiguity you correctly point out [see below linked definitions], for clarity, why not:

--Paying money to another party for assuming financial risk: insure

--To make sure, certain, guarantee: ensure

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/insure
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ensure

And from this def:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/assure
Usage Note: Assure, ensure, and insure all mean "to make secure or certain." Only assure is used with reference to a person in the sense of "to set the mind at rest": assured the leader of his loyalty. Although ensure and insure are generally interchangeable, only insure is now widely used in American English in the commercial sense of "to guarantee persons or property against risk."

Key point: "insure" carries connotations re commercial financial risk, regardless of denotation re interchangeability with "ensure." This connotation might bubble in the reader's subconsciousness.

Thanks, STC. That certainly clears it up.

Chase · Oct 26, 2008

As usually takes place in this section, good explanations and examples to ensure understanding. I've often thought Webster is too wishy-washy on the point, as if fence-sitting will insure against controversy.

Sandi LeFaucheur · Oct 26, 2008

As usually takes place in this section, good explanations and examples to ensure understanding. I've often thought Webster is too wishy-washy on the point, as if fence-sitting will insure against controversy.

Shouldn't that be ensure against controversy?

Cybernaught · Oct 26, 2008

Sandi LeFaucheur said:
Shouldn't that be ensure against controversy?

Well ensure is incapable of providing insurance, for insure ensures that controversy will be prevented.

adtabb · Oct 26, 2008

I am used to seeing Ensure only used to apply to the drink equivilant of Boost. In other words - high protein/vitamin drink. A little chalky, and doesn't add the weight on like it's supposed to.

girlyswot · Oct 26, 2008

There is a difference in the syntax associated with each:

You ensure that an event will happen.

You insure something (house/possessions/life etc.) against an event happening.

donroc · Oct 26, 2008

I vote for girlyswot's pithiness.

Chase · Oct 26, 2008

Sandi LeFaucheur said:
Shouldn't that be ensure against controversy?

Ha ha ha, obviously it did not insure against controversy.

Phoebe H · Oct 26, 2008

Everyone else is right, but I think of it a little differently.

Ensure = positive steps to make sure that something will succeed

Insure = preventive steps to guard against the consequences of failure

So in my mind it's kind of a directional thing. Playing offense vs playing defense.

Bartholomew · Oct 27, 2008

girlyswot said:
You insure something (house/possessions/life etc.) against an event happening.

...though you're generally unsure if you'll ever get a cheque.

Zing!

Sandi LeFaucheur · Oct 27, 2008

And I think it is partially a US/UK thing. According to my Collins dictionary, "insure" is used in the place of "ensure" primarily in the US.

Carmy · Oct 27, 2008

I agree with Sandi, it's a UK/US thing.

I always use ensure, unless I'm talking to my insurance agent.

blacbird · Oct 27, 2008

Unsure.

caw

Cybernaught · Oct 28, 2008

Sandi LeFaucheur said:
And I think it is partially a US/UK thing. According to my Collins dictionary, "insure" is used in the place of "ensure" primarily in the US.

Yeah, that explains why I was so confused.

Mad Queen · Oct 29, 2008

Here is what my dictionary says (Oxford Dictionary of English):

USAGE:
There is considerable overlap between the meaning and use of insure and ensure. In both British and US English the primary meaning of insure is the commercial sense of providing financial compensation in the event of damage to property; ensure is not used at all in this sense. For the more general senses, ensure is more likely to be used, but insure and ensure are often interchangeable, particularly in US English, e. g. bail is posted to insure that the defendant appears for trial; the system is run to ensure that a good quality of service is maintained.

benbradley · Oct 29, 2008

FennelGiraffe said:
In many American speech patterns, they're pronounced the same, which leads to spelling confusion.
I can't imagine how they would be pronounced differently. But then, I'm from The South ~~Will Rise Again~~.

FennelGiraffe said:

I imagine a great many people don't even realize they're two different words.

Click to expand...

I see compliment (a person saying something nice or positive about another, usually about the other's appearance) when the writer means complement (something making "complete" or adding functionality to something else) a lot, even though their meanings are quite distinct.

girlyswot · Oct 30, 2008

benbradley said:
I can't imagine how they would be pronounced differently.

Well, 'insure' begins with the syllable 'in' to rhyme with 'pin' and 'ensure' begins with the syllable 'en' to rhyme with 'pen'. If you pronounce pin and pen the same, then I can't help you.

MattW · Oct 30, 2008

benbradley said:
In many American speech patterns, they're pronounced the same, which leads to spelling confusion.
I can't imagine how they would be pronounced differently. But then, I'm from The South ~~Will Rise Again~~.

I see compliment (a person saying something nice or positive about another, usually about the other's appearance) when the writer means complement (something making "complete" or adding functionality to something else) a lot, even though their meanings are quite distinct.

Discrete vs discreet.

Ensure or Insure?

Cybernaught

Decker

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

stc

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

Cybernaught

Decker

Chase

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Sandi LeFaucheur

Cybernaught

Decker

adtabb

Quiet Normally, Loud when Provoked

girlyswot

donroc

Historicals and Horror rule

Chase

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Phoebe H

Bartholomew

Comic guy

Sandi LeFaucheur

Carmy

blacbird

Cybernaught

Decker

Mad Queen

California Mountain Snake

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

girlyswot

MattW

Company Man