'Sow' means to plant seeds, or is a female pig; 'sew' means to stitch with needle and thread.
Verb/noun. To scatter seeds on or in the ground for them to grow. Also: a female pig. Irregular: sow, sowed, sown.
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.
Verb. To join fabric or other material with a needle and thread. To stitch by hand or machine.
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 (correct: sowed). Or "You reap what you sew" — the famous expression uses sow (correct: you reap what you sow).
Trick to remember it
'Sow' rhymes with 'hoe' and 'mow' — garden tools and actions, all with OW (silent W). '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?
'You reap what you sow' appears in the Bible (Galatians 6:7) and is one of the most universal ethical principles across cultures. In modern business, it is used as both wisdom and warning: companies that invest in culture and people (sow) harvest loyalty and performance; those that exploit or neglect (sow poorly) harvest turnover and conflict. The metaphor works because agriculture is the original model of delayed reward — you work now, you benefit months later.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The programme aims to _____ the seeds of environmental awareness in young children.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She taught herself to _____ during lockdown and made her own curtains.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Is it to plant seeds or the female pig? 'Sow'. Is it to stitch with needle and thread? 'Sew'.
"She sewed seeds in the garden" when meaning planted (correct: sowed). Or "You reap what you sew" — the famous expression uses sow (correct: you reap what you sow).
'Sow' rhymes with 'hoe' and 'mow' — garden tools and actions, all with OW (silent W). 'Sew' rhymes with 'new' and 'grew' — things that result in something created or changed.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy