Assure or Ensure or Insure Learn with Mind Trick

Assure or Ensure or Insure


Assure, Ensure, and Insure are three brothers of the same family named Sure. They are somehow connected to the meaning sure and secure. But they work in different department; their role in a context is different. Let us see what different role they play in English language. 



Assure (V)

• According to Oxford: Assure means to tell somebody that something is definitely true or is definitely going to happen, especially when they have doubts about it.
• According to Collin: If you assure someone that something is true or will happen, you tell them that it is definitely true or will definitely happen , often in order to make them less worried.

1. We must assure that every child gets a proper education.
2. She is perfectly safe, I can assure you.

Ensure (V)

• According to Oxford: To make sure that something happens or is definite.
• According to Collin: To ensure something, or to ensure that something happens, means to make certain that it happens.

1. We want to ensure(make certain) that it doesn't happen again.
2. The coaching ensured his success in UPSC exams.

Insure (V)

• According to Oxford: To buy insurance so that you will receive money if you property, car, etc. gets damaged or stolen, or if you get ill/sick or die.
• According to Collin: It you insure yourself or your property, you pay money to an insurance company so that, if you become ill or if your property is damaged or stolen, the company will pay you a sum of money.

1. He insured the Iphone.
2. They insured our house against fire and flood damage.

Insure or Ensure

Insure should be restricted to financial contexts; it should be used to what insurance companies do. Insure is commonly followed by the preposition against, e.g. 1. The care insured against fire and theft. 2. We strongly recommend insuring against sickness or injury.

Ensure should be used in all other senses of the word except financial context. In America ensure and insure are interchangeable. However, British prefers insure mainly for Insurance. 

Mind trick:
Assure looks like As + sure; as means something like + sure makes the word "something like sure" but not 100 percent sure.
Ensure looks like En + sure; en means in, inside + sure makes it means "100 percent sure or certain", as its definition says.
Insure looks like Insurance; You should use insure for "insurance purpose only".

In a nutshell

Assure or Ensure or Insure: when should they be used?

Assure means to encourage; Ensure means to make certain; Insure means insurance of property.

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