Brought vs. Bought

Main Difference

The main difference between brought and bought is that the word brought is the simple past and past participle of the verb “bring,” whereas the word bought is the simple past and past participle of the verb “buy.”

Difference Between Brought and Bought

Comparison Chart

Brought vs. Bought

Brought and bought are irregular verbs. People often confuse these two words with each other. But the words brought and bought are distinct in their meaning and usage. The words brought and bought are very ancient. They can even be traced to Proto-Germanic origins or earlier.

The word ‘brought’ is the simple past and the past participle of the verb ‘bring.’ The meaning of bring is to carry something/someone to a person or place.”

The word bought is the simple past and past participle of the verb “buy.” The meaning of buy is to get something with the exchange of money or monetary values.

Brought and bought have a similar construction with -ough- that makes the pronunciation of both the words similar. The –ough- construction also makes the spelling of brought ad bought similar to each other.

The root word bring of the word brought comes from the Old English word ‘bringan’ meaning ‘to bring, produce, present, or offer.’ The past and past participle of ‘bringan’ is ‘brohte’ which sounds similar to brought. The root word buy of the term brought comes from the Old English word ‘bycgan’ which means ‘pay for, to buy, acquire, etc.’

The past form of ‘bycgan’ is ‘bohte,’ which is also similar to bought. An example of both the words brought and bought in a sentence is that my sister brought her delicious homemade cupcakes to the stall, and the people bought it hand in hand.

What is Brought?

Brought is a verb. It is an irregular verb. The word ‘brought’ is the simple past, and the past participle of the verb bring. The meaning of bring is to carry something/someone to a person or place.” Brought have a construction with “-ough- Brought rhymes with cot, tot, and plot. The synonymous words for brought are conveyed, lead, to carry, to take to another place.

The root word bring of the word brought comes from the Old English word ‘bringan’ meaning ‘to bring, produce, present, or offer.’ The past and past participle of ‘bringan’ is ‘brohte’ which sounds similar to brought.

The common phrase with the root word of brought “bring” is “to bring about” (to cause something to happen), to bring around (to cause to adopt an opinion).

Examples:

• “I brought the film like a flower to the world.” (Claude Chabrol)
• I brought a new bag for my picnic with friends.
• The prime minister’s speech brought about a change in public approval.

What is Bought?

Bought is an irregular verb. The word bought is the simple past and past participle of the verb “buy.” The meaning of buy is to get something with the exchange of money or monetary values. The root word buy of the term brought comes from the Old English word ‘bycgan’ which means ‘pay for, to buy, acquire, etc.’

The past form of ‘bycgan’ is ‘bohte,’ which is also similar to bought. The synonyms of bought are to purchase, obtain, and paid for. The words that rhyme with bought are taught, plot, fought, etc.

Examples

• My brother-in-law bought a new car.
• The tickets bought at the last minute at the cinema are expensive in case if all the seats are booked.
• He bought my phone from me and has not given me its payment yet.

Conclusion

Bought and brought are the two words that look alike, spelled alike, and pronounced alike, but both the words are different from each other as each has its distinct meaning, context, and usage