Convince or Persuade – How to Use Each Correctly

/ October 15, 2019/ Usage

What’s the Difference Between Convince and Persuade?

Convince and persuade have similar meanings. In fact, many dictionaries and thesauruses list this pair of words as synonyms. However, there are subtle differences in the definitions and connotations of these two words.

Convince is a verb that means to make someone believe something is true.

• The parents convinced the child that Santa was real.

Persuade is also a verb. It means to influence someone to choose to do something.

• Her parents persuaded her to go to the dance, even though she had a phobia of social events.

Now, let’s go over a few ways you can use these words in your sentences.

Using Convince in a Sentence

When to use convince: Convince is a verb that refers to making someone think something is true.

For example,

• Scientists had to work hard to convince the public that some pesticides were causing health problems in humans.
• Everyone on the jury thought the defendant was guilty, until his lawyers convinced them otherwise.

This word differs from persuade in that convince deals with a person’s beliefs in his or her own mind. You can convince someone that something is true or false, but you cannot convince someone to do something. On the other hand, you can persuade someone to do something but not to believe something. This traditional distinction has become weaker and weaker over time. Nowadays, many people ignore it altogether. However, to follow the rules of standard English it is best to preserve this distinction.

Because of this difference, you should use the collocation convince of and persuade to.

Using Persuade in a Sentence

When to use persuade: Persuade is a verb that means to influence someone to decide to take an action. People usually persuade others to do something through cajoling, appealing to the other person’s emotions, or presenting logical arguments as to why something would be good or bad to do.

For example,

• Her best friend persuaded her to take Spanish class even though she preferred French.
• The leader of the cult persuaded all of his followers to drink poison and commit mass suicide.

It is important to note that one can be persuaded to do something yet still not be convinced that it is a good idea. Consider the amendment to the last example, The leader of the cult persuaded all of his followers to drink poison and commit mass suicide, although not all of them were convinced this would help them reincarnate.

Remembering Convince vs. Persuade

There are two different ways to remember which word is which.

Convince comes from the Latin word for to prove that something is true or false. The con signifies with and vince is related to the word victor. You can remember that convince means to make someone believe something is true, and that it relates to a mental decision, not a physical action, by the fact that convince and mind both share the letters in.

Persuade means make someone do something. You can remember that this is a physical act rather than a mental one because persuade and made both end in ade. They persuade him to do it/They made him do it.

Outside Examples

• A man held at gunpoint was able to convince his captor to drop him off at work before taking his car to rob a Walgreens. –Denver Post
• While Trump wants to cut individual rates in most brackets, he said he is convinced that the best way to drive the U.S. gross domestic product to 4% or 5% growth is by lowering corporate rates… –USA Today
• Today and every day we are the targets of salespeople, marketers, advertisers, fundraisers and (heaven knows) politicians trying to persuade us to buy something, do something or think a certain way. –LA Times
• It is unlikely that he could persuade people to change their minds, but he could try to mobilize his base. –Vanity Fair

Quiz: Convince vs. Persuade

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either convince or persuade.

• I couldn’t _______________ them of that fact.
• The politician couldn’t _______________ them to do anything about it.
• The words of the poet ___________________ many people that pollution was an injustice.
• Rachel Carson helped ________________ politicians to outlaw a harmful pesticide.
• It can be hard to ___________ toddlers to go to bed on time.

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use convince or persuade? These words have similar meanings, yet they aren’t exactly the same.

• Convince means to make someone think something is true but doesn’t relate to a person’s actions.
• Persuade means to influence someone to take an action, but doesn’t relate to believing something in one’s mind.

Remember this distinction when choosing which word to use. Don’t let the fact that many professional publications ignore this distinction confuse you.

Answers from Quiz 

• convince
• persuade
• convinced
• persuade
• persuade