The words imply and infer both concern information that is suggested, but not explicitly communicated. 

When you imply, you hint at something without directly stating it.  You can imply something when you are speaking, writing, or relaying information in another fashion.   To imply is to suggest something without stating it outright.

When you infer, you pick up on a hint, or what you imagine to be a hint (it is possible to infer something that was not implied).  You can infer something from information someone else has communicated.    To infer is to read between the lines, so to speak.

Here are some sentence examples for this tricky pair of words:

IMPLY
“The apples trees are beautiful, but their fruit isn’t exactly tasty,” said Tim.
“Are you implying that my apple pie will be less-than-delicious?”  asked Terri.
“Are you implying that we shouldn’t bother picking apples this weekend?” asked Sally.
“I’m just saying I don’t like Granny Smiths,” said Tim.

INFER
Tim said, “I’m not a fan of music.”
Sally inferred that she shouldn’t buy Tim a record for his birthday.
Terri inferred that Tim is a snobby bore.

When you IMply, you are sending information.  Remember that imply begins with I M, as in I’M SPEAKING.  When I state that Ruby Receptionists is more than an answering service, I’m implying that our service exceeds expectations. 

When you INfer, you are receiving information, and finding meaning IN what someone else has relayed.  After perusing Ruby’s website, you’ll likely infer that our virtual receptionist service is an ideal fit for your business.

Less and fewer are an especially confusing pair of words.  Both words have the same essential meaning—the opposite of more—but each word has a unique application.  In my experience, it seems the word less is used a lot more often than it should be. 

If you are describing something that can be counted one-by-one, fewer is the correct choice.  Less is intended to describe things that cannot be counted.  Sounds tricky, right?  Here’s an easy way to determine which word to use: if you can add “one,” “two,” or any number to the word or phrase you’re describing, fewer is your choice.

Let’s consider water as an example.  One lake, two rivers, three streams—these phrases all make sense.  Lakes, rivers, and streams can all be counted one-by-one, so fewer pairs with these words.  But one water?  That doesn’t work. Therefore, less water is the way to go.

Nevada has fewer lakes than Minnesota.

I will add less water to the soup next time.

On the other hand, if you’re describing gallons of water, fewer is the correct choice, because gallons can be counted one-by-one (one gallon, two gallons, three gallons). 

Here are some less phrases: less time, less money, less flour, less fear

Here are some fewer phrases: fewer seconds, fewer dollars, fewer cups of flour, fewer limitations

For those businesses seeking fewer missed connections and less stress, our grammar-savvy team of remote receptionists is an excellent solution.