Wear vs Put on: What's the Difference?
What's the Difference?
Put on" refers to the action of dressing, while "wear" describes the state of having clothes on.
Memory Tip: Put on = action to dress, Wear = already dressed
Put on has two words, Wear is one word
wear /wɛr/
verbTo have clothes on your body.
Example:
She wears a blue dress to work every Monday.
Common patterns:
wear clothes
wear shoes
put on
Example:
She is going to put on her coat because it's cold outside.
Common Mistakes
I always wear my coat before leaving the house.
I always put on my coat before leaving the house.
The action of dressing occurs before leaving, so 'put on' is correct.
She forgot to put on her glasses all day.
She forgot to wear her glasses all day.
The sentence describes the state of having glasses on for the entire day, so 'wear' is correct.
Quick Practice
0/1 correct1. She is going to ____ her coat because it's cold outside.
Other Confusing Words
Never confuse wear / put on again
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