Ask the Editor
What is the difference between "interested" and "interesting"?
Question
What is the difference between interested and interesting?
—
Njomza
,
Albania
Answer
Interested is an adjective that describes a person or people who like something and want to know more about it, as in these examples:
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The listeners were all very interested in the lecture. (interested describes the listeners)
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There are three students who are interested in archaeology. (interested describes the students)
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I'd be interested to learn more about his background. (interested describes the speaker, "I")
Interesting is an adjective that describes the thing that a person or people are responding to. Things that we like and want to know more about are interesting, as in these examples:
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This is one of the most interesting books I've read all year.
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It will be interesting to see how she decides to spend the money.
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This building has an interesting history.
This little rhyme might help you remember the difference between interested and interesting:
- "-ing" is for the thing. ("-ing" is short for "interesting")
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