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'Sow' means to plant seeds, or is a female pig; 'sew' means to stitch with needle and thread.
Side-by-side comparison
"Sow" (/soʊ/) is the verb to scatter seeds on or in the ground. "Sow seeds" = plant seeds. Also a noun (/saʊ/: a female pig). Two pronunciations, two meanings.
The farmer will sow the wheat seeds in October for a spring harvest.
You reap what you sow, invest in the team and the results will come.
The program aims to sow the seeds of entrepreneurship in young people.
"Sew" (/soʊ/) is to join fabric with a needle and thread, by hand or machine. "Sew a button" = stitch a button on. "Sewing machine" = the machine for stitching. Pronounced the same as the verb "sow".
She sewed the button back onto the jacket during her lunch break.
The tailor sewed the alterations by hand for a more precise finish.
I need to learn how to sew, this button keeps falling off.
Common mistake
- •"She sewed seeds in the garden" when meaning planted is wrong (correct: sowed).
- •And "You reap what you sew" in the proverb is wrong, the correct expression uses "sow": "You reap what you sow."
Trick to remember it
- •"Sow" rhymes with "hoe" and "mow", garden tools and actions (planting).
- •"Sew" rhymes with "new" and "grew", things that result in something created or changed.
Quick rule
Is it to plant seeds or the female pig? "Sow." Is it to stitch with needle and thread? "Sew."
Did you know?
The proverb "You reap what you sow" appears in the Bible in Galatians 6:7 and is one of the most universal ethical principles: virtually every culture has an equivalent version in its own language. In modern English it is also used as a corporate warning: companies that invest in their culture and people (sow well) harvest engaged employees and positive results. Those that do not harvest turnover, conflict, and low performance. The agricultural metaphor is powerful because it captures the idea of deferred effort: you work now, the result arrives months later. SOW as a noun (female pig) comes from a different root than the verb SOW (to plant), even though they are spelled the same.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ ed a button back onto her jacket. It had fallen off.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The farmer _____ ed seeds in the fields at the start of spring.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy