Ensure or insure: which is correct?
Correct
ensure (to make certain) / insure (to cover with insurance) / assure (to tell someone confidently)
Avoid
insure (for "make certain")
Avoid
ensure (for buying insurance)
Summary
Correct: ensure (to make certain) / insure (to cover with insurance) / assure (to tell someone confidently) — Avoid: insure (for "make certain") / ensure (for buying insurance). Ensure = to make certain that something happens; insure = to protect against loss with an insurance policy; assure = to remove someone's doubts.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Source
- Oxford / Merriam-Webster
Why
Merriam-Webster records ensure and insure as overlapping in the sense "make certain" in American usage, while insure is the word for insurance cover; Oxford keeps the three apart: ensure = make certain, insure = protect financially, assure = tell someone confidently. Using ensure for "make certain" is correct everywhere.
Examples
- Please ensure the door is locked before you leave.
- You should insure the car before you drive it.
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