imply vs. infer
These two describe opposite ends of a single transaction, which is why swapping them is more than a spelling slip — it reverses who did what. A speaker implies by suggesting something without stating it. A listener infers by working it out. Mix them up in an account of a conversation and you have changed who said what, which in a minute or a witness statement is not a small thing.
imply
A verb. To suggest something without saying it directly. Done by the person producing the message.
- His email implied the deadline had moved.
- I did not mean to imply you were at fault.
- The wording implies a deeper disagreement.
- The contract implies a duty of care even where none is stated. (Legal implication — a term read in rather than written down.)
infer
A verb. To work something out from evidence or hints. Done by the person receiving the message.
- From her tone, I inferred the answer was no.
- Readers may infer more than you intend.
- We inferred from the silence that the deal had collapsed.
- You inferred criticism where none was implied. (Both words, showing the two roles at once.)
Why imply and infer get mixed up
Imply and infer describe the two ends of the same moment. The speaker or writer implies: they suggest something without stating it outright. The listener or reader infers: they work out a conclusion from what was said.
So a manager who says "we'll see how the quarter goes" may be implying that bonuses are uncertain, and the team may infer that there will be no bonuses. The information travels from implying to inferring.
The test is to ask who is doing it. If they are sending a hint, it is imply. If they are drawing a conclusion from something they read or heard, it is infer. Using infer to mean imply is heard often in speech, but in careful writing it is still treated as a mistake.
Common mistakes
Are you inferring that I missed the deadline?
✓Are you implying that I missed the deadline?
The other person is hinting it, so they are implying. You would be the one inferring.
I implied from her email that the deal was off.
✓I inferred from her email that the deal was off.
You drew a conclusion from what you read, so you inferred it.
The report infers that costs will rise next year.
✓The report implies that costs will rise next year.
The report is the one suggesting it; readers infer.
Quick way to remember
Ask who is doing it. The person sending the message implies — both start with sounds you make outward. The person receiving it infers — think "in," taking the meaning in. A speaker cannot infer their own hint, and a listener cannot imply what they were told.
Questions
What are the nouns?
Implication for imply (the implication was clear), and inference for infer (a reasonable inference from the data).
Can data infer something?
No. Data, reports and remarks can only imply or suggest. It is people, or sometimes systems and models, that infer a conclusion from them.