Born vs Borne
Published January 17, 2023. Updated January 17, 2023.
Born and Borne are both past participles of the verb “to bear,” meaning to carry: I cannot bear the weight! That’s right: they are both the same verb form of the same verb. So… doesn’t that make them the same word? Not exactly. The difference is context. Borne refers to carrying or enduring, while born refers specifically to giving birth. Born is used in the passive, with the helping verb “be”: I was born at home.
Here are some definitions and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.
Born (verb)
Past participle of the verb “to bear,” used specifically to refer to giving birth.
Examples:
I’m a New Year’s baby! I was born on January first.
The twins were born six minutes apart.
In both example sentences, born refers specifically to giving birth. Notice that in both examples, there is a form of the helping verb “be” in front of the word born. When a verb is used in the past participle, it usually has the helping verb “have” in front of it. However, if the verb is passive, it uses the helping verb “be.” That’s what is happening here: since you cannot give birth to yourself—someone else did that—the verb born is always passive when used in the context of giving birth.
Borne (verb)
Past participle of the verb “to bear,” meaning to carry or endure.
Examples:
Queen Elizabeth had borne the responsibility of leading an empire her entire life.
Women in Kenya have always borne the weight of carrying water on their shoulders.
In these examples, borne refers to the past participle of the verb “to bear,” meaning to carry or endure. In the first sentence, Queen Elizabeth endured a responsibility. In the second sentence, women in Kenya carry the weight of water, literally as well as figuratively. The word borne is not commonly used, especially in conversational English and informal writing.
Main Points
- Both Born and Borne are past participles of the verb “to bear,” meaning to carry or endure.
- Born is used specifically when referring to giving birth and is always passive.
- Borne is used in all other contexts meaning to carry or endure.
- Borne is not a commonly used word.