Both translate as 'ganar', but one means to win a competition and the other means to defeat an opponent.
"Win" is to come first or succeed in a competition or receive a prize. The object of the verb is the competition or prize, not the opponent. "Win a game" = be the game's winner.
Spain won the World Cup in 2010.
She won the race by three seconds.
Did your team win?
"Beat" is to defeat someone or surpass a record. The object of the verb is the opponent or record, not the competition itself. "Beat the other team" = defeat them directly.
Spain beat Germany 1-0.
He beat me at chess every single time.
We need to beat them in the final.
Common mistake
Trick to remember it
Quick rule
Is the object the competition or prize? Use "win." Is the object the opponent or person you defeat? Use "beat."
Did you know?
BEAT has an extraordinarily rich lexical life in English. It is simultaneously the rhythm of music ("the beat of the drum"), the act of mixing ingredients ("beat the eggs"), the state of extreme exhaustion ("I'm beat"), and the act of overcoming someone. The expression "beat around the bush" comes from medieval hunting: servants would beat the bushes to drive game toward the hunters, going around the problem instead of attacking it directly. This polysemy of BEAT is one of the most fascinating examples of how much meaning a four-letter verb can carry in English.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Our team _____ the match three goals to one. It was a great game.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She _____ first prize in the cooking competition. She was thrilled.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Both translate to 'ganar' in Spanish, but each wins in a very different way.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy