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"Free" means at no cost OR unrestricted; "available" means accessible, not occupied or busy.
Side-by-side comparison
At no cost. Or: without restrictions, at liberty. Also: unoccupied (Are you free tonight?).
The app is completely free. You do not need to pay anything.
Are you free this Saturday? I thought we could go to the market.
Feel free to use the kitchen whenever you want.
Accessible, not occupied, ready to be used or seen. Says nothing about price.
Is this seat available? I need somewhere to sit.
The product will be available in stores starting next month.
I am not available on Tuesday afternoons. I have a standing meeting.
Common mistake
- •"Free" has two meanings: no cost and unoccupied/unrestricted.
- •"Available" only means accessible or not occupied, never free of charge.
- •"Is this available for free?" correctly combines both concepts.
- •For products on the market: always "available" ("now available on Netflix"), not "free" unless it actually costs nothing.
Trick to remember it
- •Referring to price? Only "free".
- •Referring to whether something or someone is unoccupied? Both work ("free" is more casual, "available" is more formal).
- •"Are you free?" = casual.
- •"Are you available?" = professional.
Quick rule
- •"Free" = no cost OR unoccupied/unrestricted.
- •"Available" = accessible/not occupied (no price meaning).
Did you know?
"Free" is one of the most powerful words in marketing. Dan Ariely demonstrated this in "Predictably Irrational": people prefer a free lower-quality product over a paid higher-quality one, even when the paid option is a better economic deal. The word "free" activates reward centers in the brain in a way "available" never could.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Are you _____ this evening? I thought we could go for dinner.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The app is completely _____. You don't have to pay anything to download it.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
"Choose" is to select deliberately and thoughtfully; "pick" is to select quickly and informally.
"Expect" is to anticipate something mentally; "wait" is to remain somewhere until something happens.
"Let" is to permit casually or personally; "allow" is to permit formally or with authority.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy