How to Correctly Use Insure, Ensure and Assure

Insure vs ensure vs assure

                It is important to know how to grammatically use words in a sentence. But there are instances when the choice of words become confusing since there are words that spell almost alike and sound the same. We need to use the right set of words to avoid confusion and make our articles more professional. Some of the commonly confused words in the English language are ‘insure,’ ‘ensure’ and ‘assure.’ In this article, we are going to distinguish them from each other and make sure we are using them properly in sentences.

Using ‘ensure’ in a sentence

                ‘Ensure’ is a verb that means ‘to make sure or certain of something,’ or ‘to make sure that something should happen or that some sort of problem should not occur.’ For example: “The dog owner ensures that his pet returns home after playing,” “Randy ensures that all the boxes are sealed tightly before shipping,” and “We need to ensure that the ropes are tied tightly to avoid accidents.”

Using ‘insure’ in a sentence

                Insure is also a verb meaning ‘to provide someone or something with insurance,’ ‘to buy/purchase/obtain insurance’ and to make safe/sure/certain of something.’ Since both ‘ensure’ and ‘insure’ mean ‘making certain or sure’ they can be used interchangeably. However, ‘insure’ is a word that is often associated with the insurance industry. In other words, we can substitute ‘ensure’ for ‘insure’ in general terms, but we cannot replace ‘insure’ with ‘ensure’ if we will relate it with the insurance industry.

Correct ways of using insure: “After the massive flood damage, John and Karen needed to insure their home.” “Insuring our home with additional flood and fire policies is always a good idea.” “See to it that your car is insured before your next long trip.”

In replacement of ‘ensure:’ “You need to insure that everything is in place before you leave the house.” “Randy insured that the boxes are packed properly before shipping.” Here are some incorrect uses of ‘ensure:’ “This property is already ensured with additional policies.” “The Company ensured itself against losses from identity theft and data breach.”

Using ‘assure’ in a sentence:

                Assure is also a verb in transitive form. It means “to remove doubt by informing positively or promising.” It usually done to a person, event, circumstance, or group of people to remove any anxiety or doubt. It is important to remember that assure is used only on living things, including circumstances or events that involve people or animals.

                For example: “I assure you that you are the only one in my life.” “Robby assured Susan that his research proposal will be accepted.” “The flight attendant assured the passengers that the next flight is on schedule.”