Two of the books on my Amazon wishlist are Words Into Type and the 15th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. From this, you can infer that I want to enlarge my copy editing library. Or rather, does my wishlist imply that I want my library to grow?

In the previous sentences, the way that both  “imply” and “infer” are used is correct. However, the difference between the actions both words represent is significant, if subtle.

Like the “ensure/insure/assure” bugaboo that editors are always wary of, many writers use “imply” and “infer” interchangeably when they mean different things. This confusion is caused by both words sounding similar and meaning similar things: “Imply” and “infer” both start with “i” and have an unstressed/stressed syllable pattern, and both words indicate that a conclusion is being drawn from presented information. In typical fashion, Strunk and White has very little to say about the difference between the two words, and what it does say is short and to the point:

Imply, infer. Not interchangeable. Something implied is something suggested or indicated, though not expressed. Something inferred is something deduced from evidence at hand.

I’d like to elaborate on this point: When something is implied, it means that a conclusion is already inherent in the information offered to us. However, when something is inferred, it means that when we are presented with information, we  must come up with our own conclusions.

Thus, if we are told that our friend Jimmy just landed a record-sized mackerel and that he has consistently broken records in fishing competitions, it is implied that he is a very skilled (or very lucky!) fisherman – you can’t win fishing competitions without being a good fisherman.

Conversely, if we are told that Jimmy’s basement is lined wall-to-wall with bookcases and that each bookcase is full, we can infer from this that Jimmy loves to read: We are the ones assuming that he likes to read, although it is entirely possible that he likes to collect rare books for their monetary value, or even that he just likes the smell of old paper.

The two words differ because they each describe different ways of taking action upon information: When something is implied, it is the originator of the information providing a conclusion, or further context; when something is inferred, it is the receiver doing so.

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