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'Rather than' can take a gerund or bare infinitive; 'instead of' always takes a gerund.
Side-by-side comparison
"Rather than" expresses preference: you choose one option over another because you consider it better or more appropriate. It carries a tone of judgment or evaluation.
She decided to take the stairs rather than wait for the lift.
He studied at home rather than going to the library because it was raining outside.
Rather than complain, she found a solution and fixed the problem herself.
"Instead of" simply indicates substitution: one thing takes the place of another without any value judgment. It is more neutral and descriptive.
Instead of calling, she sent him a long voice message to explain everything.
I had a salad instead of chips because I am trying to eat a bit healthier.
They took the bus instead of a taxi to save a bit of money on the way home.
Common mistake
- •The most frequent error: "instead of to do" is wrong.
- •INSTEAD OF only takes a gerund: "instead of doing." Second error: "rather than to do" sounds archaic in modern English; use RATHER THAN + gerund or bare infinitive: "rather than doing/do."
Trick to remember it
Look for the OF in "instead of": after a preposition you always use the -ing form ("by doing", "for doing", "instead of doing"). "Rather than" carries no preposition, which is why it is more flexible and allows the bare infinitive or the -ing form.
Quick rule
- •"Instead of + gerund" always (never to-infinitive).
- •"Rather than + gerund or bare infinitive" (both correct).
- •Nuance: "rather than" = active preference; "instead of" = descriptive substitution.
Did you know?
INSTEAD OF comes from Middle English "in the stead of", where "stead" meant "place" (as in "homestead" and "steadfast"). The original expression was "in the place of something else." RATHER comes from Old English "hrathor" (sooner, more quickly, preferably) and evolved to mean "on the contrary" or "preferably." The difference in origin explains the grammatical difference: INSTEAD OF retains the inherited preposition OF (and therefore governs a gerund), while RATHER THAN functions as a comparative conjunction without that prepositional restriction.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She chose to walk _____ taking the bus. She needed the fresh air.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
He stayed home _____ going to the party. He was too tired.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Despite' and 'in spite of' are synonyms meaning 'in spite of', but 'despite' is more concise.
'Had better' expresses urgent advice with an implied negative consequence; 'would rather' expresses personal preference.
'Prefer' expresses a general or habitual preference; 'would rather' expresses a preference right now or between two options.
'Rather' suggests a surprising or negative degree; 'quite' can be moderate or absolute; 'fairly' is moderate and positive.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy