How to Use Convince and Persuade Correctly

Whether you are "convinced" or "persuaded" of the difference of these two words, these two words are different. Someone will persuade you of that fact and convince you of its truth. Perhaps a few examples and discussion will do just that.

Instructions

1. Look at these two examples: The teenager is convinced she can win. The boy was persuaded to run the 10-yard dash. "Convinced" is for changing mental beliefs. Persuasion is change of belief followed by action. The American Heritage Book of English Usage agrees with these definitions.

2. Be convinced that these ideas are true and persuade your fellow writers, thinkers, and speakers of their correctness.

3. Know that the special functions of these words are obvious to marketers of products, for instance. She not only wants to convince the client of the benefits of the product, but she wants to persuade him to take action and buy it.

4. Understand that some experts say that "persuade" and "convince" are synonyms that go back at least to the sixteenth century. The meanings are so closely knit that often one word serves as well as the other.

5. Convince yourself to get these words right. Persuasion is a process. A hoped-for result is to convince.

6. Study your sentence and decide if either word works, and make a choice. If only one word works, as in the first example in Step 1, use the correct word. Here is another such example: She is convinced he is the right man for her to marry. No one persuaded her, but she is convinced.