Bought or Brought?

Our Story

Bought or Brought?

What is the difference between "bought" and "brought"?

"Bought" is the past tense of "to buy."
  • I bought a new laptop.
"Brought" is the past tense of "to bring."
  • James brought the birthday cake to the restaurant this morning.
bought or brought?
Got it? Take a quick test.

Bought

"Bought" is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb "to buy."

Example sentences with "bought":
  • I bought a seven-dollar pen because I always lose pens and I got sick of not caring. (Comedian Mitch Hedberg)
    • (Here, "bought" is in the simple past tense.)
  • Men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage - they have experienced pain and have bought jewelry. (Comedian Rita Rudner)
    • (Here, "bought" is a past participle.)

Brought

"Brought" is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb "to bring."

Example sentences with "brought":
  • I brought the film like a flower to the world. (Film director Claude Chabrol)
    • (Here, "brought" is in the simple past tense.)
  • Great things are done by a series of small things that have been brought together. (Artist Vincent Van Gogh)
    • (Here, "brought" is a past participle.)
Remembering "Brought"


Let the r in "brought" remind you of "bring."

Brought or Brung?

The past tense of "to bring" is "brought." "Brung" does not exist. It is a spelling mistake. "Brang" does not exist either. It is also a spelling mistake.

Common Terms with "Bought" and "Brought"

Terms with "bought":
  • bought a car
  • bought as seen
  • bought the farm
  • bought the dummy
Terms with "brought":
  • brought a smile to my face
  • brought a tear to my eye
  • brought down
  • brought forward
  • brought into question
  • brought it up
  • brought to bear
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

Help Us To Improve Grammar Monster

  • Do you disagree with something on this page?
  • Did you spot a typo?
Please tell us using this form.

See Also

adverse or averse? affect or effect? appraise or apprise? avenge or revenge? bare or bear? complement or compliment? dependant or dependent? discreet or discrete? disinterested or uninterested? e.g. or i.e.? envy or jealousy? imply or infer? its or it's? material or materiel? poisonous or venomous? practice or practise? principal or principle? tenant or tenet? who's or whose? What are verbs? What is the simple past tense? What are past participles? List of easily confused words