Question 1

What is the difference between Imply and Infer?

Accepted Answer

They describe the same moment from opposite ends. The speaker or writer implies, putting a suggestion into the message; the listener or reader infers, taking a conclusion out of it. Using infer to mean 'suggest' ('Are you inferring I'm a liar?') is common in casual speech, but learner's dictionaries still class it as non-standard.

Question 2

How do I know if I mean Imply rather than Infer?

Accepted Answer

Readers who land here meaning Imply rather than Infer are usually searching for phrases like “imply or infer”, “are you inferring that”, “imply vs infer examples”.

Aspect	Imply	Infer
Who does it	The speaker or writer	The listener or reader
Direction	Puts a meaning in	Takes a meaning out
Example	'Her tone implied she was annoyed.'	'I inferred from her tone that she was annoyed.'
Typical partner word	'Imply that …'	'Infer … from …'

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Imply

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