'Born' relates to coming into existence at birth; 'borne' is the past participle of 'bear' meaning to carry or endure.
Adjective/verb. Having come into existence through birth. Also used in expressions like 'born leader'.
She was born in Buenos Aires in 1990.
He is a born entrepreneur — he started his first business at sixteen.
Necessity is the mother of invention — great ideas are born from problems.
Verb. Past participle of 'bear' in the senses of carrying, enduring, or being transmitted.
The disease is water-borne and spreads rapidly in contaminated rivers.
The costs have been borne entirely by the company.
She has borne the responsibility for the whole team.
Common mistake
Using 'born' for the participial sense of 'bear': "The costs have been born by us" (correct: borne). Or 'borne' for birth: "She was borne in Madrid" (correct: born).
Trick to remember it
'Born' is for birth — simple, four letters, a fresh start. 'Borne' has an E at the end — it carries that extra letter like a burden, just as 'borne' always involves carrying or enduring something.
Quick rule
Is it about coming into existence or natural talent? 'Born'. Is it the past participle of carrying, enduring, or transmitting? 'Borne'.
Did you know?
Compound words ending in '-borne' are common in medicine: airborne, waterborne, foodborne, vector-borne. All describe how a disease is transmitted. These compound adjectives all come from 'borne' as the past participle of 'bear' (to carry).
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The financial losses from the recall have been _____ by the manufacturer.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She was _____ with a natural gift for languages and was fluent in four by age twenty.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Is it about coming into existence or natural talent? 'Born'. Is it the past participle of carrying, enduring, or transmitting? 'Borne'.
Using 'born' for the participial sense of 'bear': "The costs have been born by us" (correct: borne). Or 'borne' for birth: "She was borne in Madrid" (correct: born).
'Born' is for birth — simple, four letters, a fresh start. 'Borne' has an E at the end — it carries that extra letter like a burden, just as 'borne' always involves carrying or enduring something.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy