Assure/Ensure/Insure
Three little words — assure, ensure and insure — can wreak havoc in writing. Consider:
My two-volume 1937 Webster’s Universal Dictionary of the English Language, “profusely illustrated, being the unabridged dictionary by Noah Webster, LL.D.,” defines
- assure as To make certain.
- ensure as Same as insure.
- insure as To underwrite.
But today Ensure means an adult nutrition shake. The word makes reasonable people snicker. I suggest you drop it from business writing. Totally.
Write insure when you’re discussing property liability and annual check-ups.
Use assure to mean “put the mind to rest.”
What do you think?
Keywords: Writing tips
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