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'Convince' = to cause someone to believe something; 'persuade' = to cause someone to do something.
Side-by-side comparison
"Convince" changes someone's mind: you get them to think or believe something different. Constructed with "of" or "that + clause", never with an infinitive.
After showing her the statistics, he finally convinced her that the investment was too risky.
I am not convinced that this approach will solve the underlying problem.
It took three separate demonstrations to convince the skeptical scientist that the device actually worked.
"Persuade" moves someone to act: you get them to do something. Constructed with an infinitive: "persuade someone to do something". Sometimes appeals more to emotions.
She persuaded her reluctant colleague to present at the conference by offering to co-author the paper.
Nothing could persuade him to leave the house during the storm, he refused to budge.
The salesperson persuaded the hesitant couple to upgrade to the premium package with a limited-time offer.
Common mistake
- •In strict prescriptive English, "convince" takes "that" or "of" (changes a BELIEF), and "persuade" takes "to" + infinitive (triggers an ACTION).
- •"I persuaded her to go" (got her to act).
- •"I convinced her that it was a good idea" (changed her belief).
Trick to remember it
- •"Convince" + "that/of" = you change what someone BELIEVES.
- •"Persuade" + "to do" = you get someone to ACT.
- •Outcome is a belief: convince.
- •Outcome is an action: persuade.
Quick rule
- •"Convince" = change what someone believes (+ "that" or "of").
- •"Persuade" = get someone to act (+ "to" + infinitive).
Did you know?
The prescriptive rule "do not use convince with to + infinitive" was particularly insisted upon by 20th-century style guides (AP Style Guide, Fowler). However, modern corpus linguistics shows "convinced to do" appearing frequently in formal 19th-century English writing. The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) no longer flags "convince to do" as an error. The believe/act distinction remains useful for precision, but it is no longer a hard rule.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ d him that the plan was a good idea. He now fully believes it.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She _____ d him to join the gym. He didn't want to at first, but he signed up.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Presume' = to suppose with some basis or evidence; 'assume' = to take something for granted without justification.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy