But I Can’t Really Ensure It
At JETPUBS we work with a lot of manuals, and as we do, we spot potential miscommunications that can easily be avoided. These inaccuracies slow down the revision process and put intended meanings at risk of misinterpretation. One that is a pet peeve with many an editor is using “assure,” “ensure,” and “insure” interchangeably.
Calling the interchanging of these three words a “mistake” would be too harsh, as Merriam Webster gives all three words the general definition of making something certain. However, it is undeniable there are various shades of meaning between the three words and that the potential for miscommunication to your audience is possible if you do not choose your word accurately. For instance, what do the following fragments mean to you?
- Assure the pilot in the aircraft
- Ensure the pilot in the aircraft
- Insure the pilot in the aircraft
The first fragment is asking you to set the pilot’s mind at ease about a certain topic.
The second fragment is asking you to make sure the pilot is in the aircraft.
The third fragment is asking you to take out a policy on the pilot.
Although language is always in flux and there are no hard-and-fast rules on this topic. A few rules of thumb that I’ve developed are as follows:
“Assure” implies affecting one’s mental state to make a person more certain of the desired outcome.
“I assured him that I was a competent ventriloquist.”
“Ensure” implies a cause-to-effect process or relationship making the desired outcome more certain. It is commonly used in terms of performing a check.
“My studies at Clown College ensured that I was a competent ventriloquist.”
“I ensured that Unicycling was a topic of study there.”
“Insure” implies a prior investment or allocation of resources to make the desired outcome more certain. This usually applies to insurance.
“The cost to have ventriloquists insured is less than that of fire-eaters.”
To avoid miscommunication, I would recommend only using “insure” when referring to insurance, and only using “assure” when talking about bringing peace of mind to people. That means the word that you’ll usually want to use is “ensure.”
Whenever you are in doubt as to which word to use, try contrasting all three of them in a sentence and choose the one that best suits your meaning.
“I assured my boss I had personally ensured that the plane was insured.”
Choosing your words carefully will ensure that you are sending the correct message to your readers.
– David Frank, JETPUBS Inc.