"Worth" is always followed by a gerund with no preposition ("worth doing"); "worthwhile" can take an infinitive ("worthwhile to do") or gerund ("worthwhile doing"). Most frequent confusion: "worth to do" = INCORRECT.
WORTH + GERUND: "worth" functions as an adjective/preposition expressing that something has sufficient value or benefit to justify the action. The FIXED structure is: WORTH + GERUND (without "to"). "It is worth reading this book." "The museum is worth visiting." TYPICAL ERRORS: "It is worth to read" = INCORRECT (never "worth + to-infinitive"). "It is worth of reading" = INCORRECT (no preposition). WORTH can go: (1) with impersonal subject IT: "It is worth doing X." (2) with the object as subject: "This book is worth reading." The subject of the sentence and the object of the gerund are the same: "This book is worth reading" = someone reads this book.
Before committing to the implementation, it is worth reviewing the total cost of ownership projections for at least a five-year horizon.
The report runs to nearly two hundred pages, but the executive summary alone is worth reading if you are short on time before the board meeting.
Given the potential upside of entering this market segment early, the initial investment is absolutely worth making, despite the elevated risk profile.
WORTHWHILE: adjective meaning "worth the effort" or "deserving the time spent" in a broader sense — describes something that has sufficient value to justify the time, effort, or money invested. Structures: (1) IT IS WORTHWHILE + GERUND: "It is worthwhile reading the full report." (2) IT IS WORTHWHILE + TO-INFINITIVE: "It is worthwhile to read the full report" (both correct). (3) WORTHWHILE EXPERIENCE/INVESTMENT/PROJECT (as attributive adjective): "This was a worthwhile investment." NUANCE DIFFERENCE: WORTH emphasizes the specific value of DOING something. WORTHWHILE emphasizes the general value or merit of the effort invested. WORTHWHILE is more formal and less colloquial than WORTH.
The leadership development program is designed to be a genuinely worthwhile investment of time for participants at all levels of the organization.
It is worthwhile to establish a clear evaluation framework before beginning the vendor selection process, as it significantly reduces the risk of post-selection regret.
The additional due diligence will take approximately two weeks, but given the scale of the acquisition, it is more than worthwhile.
Common mistake
THE MOST COMMON ERROR: "worth to do" = INCORRECT. "It is worth to read this" = INCORRECT. After WORTH always use a GERUND, never an infinitive with TO. Correct: "It is worth READING this." Second error: "worth of" = INCORRECT. "It is worth of visiting" = INCORRECT (no preposition needed). Third: confusing the structure with the subject. "This book is worth to read" = INCORRECT. "This book is worth reading" = correct (someone reads the book — the gerund has an implied object). Fourth: "worthwhile to doing" = INCORRECT. WORTHWHILE accepts to-infinitive ("to do") or gerund ("doing"), not the combination "to + gerund."
Trick to remember it
THE ANTI-TO RULE: after WORTH, the word "to" NEVER appears directly. "Worth reading" (correct). "Worth to read" (incorrect). If you want TO = switch to WORTHWHILE: "worthwhile to read" (correct). Quick test: substitute WORTH with the adjective "worthy" and think if it needs "of": "worthy of reading" (correct adjective form). WORTH = prepositional adjective + gerund. WORTHWHILE = adjective + to-infinitive or gerund. Reminder: "worth" conceptually rhymes with "worth your while" (which actually gives us "worthwhile"). WORTH = how much value this specific action has. WORTHWHILE = whether the overall effort is worth it.
Quick rule
Worth + gerund (NEVER to-infinitive): "worth reading" (correct) / "worth to read" (incorrect). Worthwhile + to-infinitive or gerund: "worthwhile to read" or "worthwhile reading" (both correct). Worth = value of the action. Worthwhile = merit of the overall effort. Never: "worth of doing" or "worth to do."
Did you know?
The word "worth" has a fascinating etymological history: it comes from Old English "weorth" (value), related to German "Wert" (value). In Middle English, "worth" could function as a noun ("great worth"), adjective ("worthy"), and the prepositional adjective we have today. The structure "worth + gerund" is remarkably ancient in English — it appears in medieval texts. Interestingly, grammatically "worth" in "worth reading" behaves more like a preposition governing its complement than an adjective. Linguists debate whether "worth" in these structures is an unusual adjective or an atypical preposition. This grammatical ambiguity is exactly what causes learners to make the error "worth to read" — they try to regularize "worth" as if it were a normal adjective (comparable to "easy to read," "difficult to understand") when in reality its complement is always a gerund.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Before the annual strategic planning cycle begins, it is _____ the organization's current positioning against its primary competitors in the target markets.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
While the initial setup cost is significant, the long-term operational savings make this technology upgrade a truly _____ investment for the organization.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Worth + gerund (NEVER to-infinitive): "worth reading" (correct) / "worth to read" (incorrect). Worthwhile + to-infinitive or gerund: "worthwhile to read" or "worthwhile reading" (both correct). Worth = value of the action. Worthwhile = merit of the overall effort. Never: "worth of doing" or "worth to do."
THE MOST COMMON ERROR: "worth to do" = INCORRECT. "It is worth to read this" = INCORRECT. After WORTH always use a GERUND, never an infinitive with TO. Correct: "It is worth READING this." Second error: "worth of" = INCORRECT. "It is worth of visiting" = INCORRECT (no preposition needed). Third: confusing the structure with the subject. "This book is worth to read" = INCORRECT. "This book is worth reading" = correct (someone reads the book — the gerund has an implied object). Fourth: "worthwhile to doing" = INCORRECT. WORTHWHILE accepts to-infinitive ("to do") or gerund ("doing"), not the combination "to + gerund."
THE ANTI-TO RULE: after WORTH, the word "to" NEVER appears directly. "Worth reading" (correct). "Worth to read" (incorrect). If you want TO = switch to WORTHWHILE: "worthwhile to read" (correct). Quick test: substitute WORTH with the adjective "worthy" and think if it needs "of": "worthy of reading" (correct adjective form). WORTH = prepositional adjective + gerund. WORTHWHILE = adjective + to-infinitive or gerund. Reminder: "worth" conceptually rhymes with "worth your while" (which actually gives us "worthwhile"). WORTH = how much value this specific action has. WORTHWHILE = whether the overall effort is worth it.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy