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Find, find out, or discover
Find means to come across something, find out means to learn a fact, and discover means to find or realize something new.
Quick rule
Looking for a thing? Find. Learning who or when? Find out. Meeting something brand new? Discover.
To come across something, with or without looking for it; also to have an opinion (find it hard). Past tense: found.
To learn or discover a fact: who, when, whether. It is about information, not objects.
To find or learn about something for the first time, often something new or surprising.
How to choose
| Question | find | find out | discover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can it be used for an object you were looking for (my keys)? | Yes | No | SometimesSometimes |
| Is it learning a fact, such as who, when or whether? | SometimesSometimes | Yes | Yes |
| Can about follow it (___ about the news)? | No | Yes | No |
Why it trips people up
Find, find out and discover all end with you knowing about something, but they start from different places. Find is about things and opinions, find out is about facts, and discover is about something new, to you or to the world.
How each one works
Find
An object you were looking for
I found my wallet behind the fridge.
Getting hold of something available
We could not find a taxi after midnight.
find + object + adjective: an opinion
She found the book interesting.
Find out
find out + who, when, whether
I want to find out who sent the flowers.
Getting to know a fact
It took me a week to find out the truth.
find out about: hear about
We found out about the party yesterday.
Discover
Something new to everyone
Scientists discovered a new kind of frog.
discover that + clause
He discovered that his phone was missing.
Finding something about yourself
She discovered her love of painting at age fifty.
What comes next
find plus object
Did you find the receipt?
find out plus question word
I will find out where the store is.
find out plus about plus something
How did you find out about this job?
discover plus that plus clause
They discovered that the door was open.
Set phrases
Find
- find your way
- get to a place without help
Find out
- find out the hard way
- learn something because something bad happened
Discover
- discover the truth
- learn what really happened
Almost the same
I found the answer.
I came across it, for example in a book.
I found out the answer.
I learned it by asking.
I discovered the answer.
Something new, perhaps for the first time.
In a conversation
- A:
Did you find a place to stay in Lima?
- B:
Yes, but I had to find out the price first.
- A:
And how was the city?
- B:
I discovered a great little cafe near the plaza.
- A:
How did you find out about it?
- B:
A taxi driver told me.
Common mistakes
Wrong: I found out the keys under the sofa.
Right: I found the keys under the sofa.
Find out is for facts. A thing you were looking for is found.
Wrong: We discovered about the problem yesterday.
Right: We found out about the problem yesterday.
Discover does not take about. Use find out about or discover that.
Memory trick
An object: find. A fact you did not know: find out. Something new, to you or to everyone: discover.
It depends
- Find out or discover?
- With a that clause, both can mean to become aware of a fact. Discover sounds more like finding something new or surprising.
- Find as an opinion
- With an adjective, find means to think of something that way: I find it hard.
FAQ
Find vs find out: what is the difference?
Find is to come across something. Find out is to learn a fact.
Find out vs figure out vs discover?
Find out is to learn a fact, figure out is to solve something by thinking, and discover is to find something new.
Discover vs found?
Discover is to find something new for the first time. Found is the past of find, for things you look for or come across.