Common mistakes
Hear or listen: receiving sound and paying attention
You may hear a phone ring while you work. You listen to a voicemail when you choose to pay attention to the words. The sound can arrive without a plan, but listening needs attention.
Choose hear or listen by deciding whether a sound reaches you or you give attention to it.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
hear / listen /hɪə(r)/ /ˈlɪs.ən/
The short answer
Use hear when you notice or receive a sound. Use listen when you pay attention, usually with to before the person, sound, or thing you are listening to.
I heard the bus arrive, then I listened to the driver explain the delay.
Why it works: Heard tells you that the arrival sound reached the speaker. Listened to tells you that the speaker paid attention to the explanation.
5 more examples
-
I could hear rain against the window during the meeting.
The rain sound reached the speaker. The sentence does not say that the speaker chose to focus on it.
Not this:After the meeting, I
listened to the rainfor a few minutes. What changes: The speaker deliberately gave attention to the sound, so listen to is the natural choice. -
Can you hear the announcement from this platform?
The question asks whether the announcement is audible to the listener.
Not this:Please
listen to the announcementbefore you board the train. What changes: Here, the listener needs to pay attention because the announcement has useful information. -
We heard a strange noise outside the flat last night.
The group noticed a sound. They may not know what caused it.
Not this:We
listened at the doorto find out where the noise came from. What changes: The group made an effort to pay attention and identify the sound. -
I heard about the workshop from a colleague.
Hear about means receive news or information about something.
Not this:I
listened to the workshop recordingon my way home. What changes: The speaker focused on the recorded talk, so listen to is needed. -
She did not hear her name because the room was noisy.
The words did not reach her clearly enough to be noticed.
Not this:She
listened carefullywhen the organiser repeated her name. What changes: She then chose to give close attention to the repeated words.
Read the full guide
Use hear for a sound that comes to you. Use listen when you decide to give the sound your attention. In most sentences, say listen to music, listen to a friend, or listen to an announcement.
Use hear when a sound reaches you
Use hear when you notice a sound. The sound may be expected or unexpected. You can hear a bird, hear traffic, or hear somebody call your name. Hearing does not always mean that you stopped what you were doing to focus on the sound.
I heard someone knock while I was making dinner.
The speaker noticed the knock, even though making dinner was the main activity.
Use listen when you give attention
Listen is an action. Use it when a person chooses to focus on a sound or on another person's words. You may listen carefully, listen again, or listen quietly. In most cases, put to before the thing or person that receives the attention.
Please listen to the instructions before you begin.
The person needs to focus on the instructions, so the sentence uses listen to.
Remember to after listen
Hear takes its object directly: hear a song or hear the news. Listen usually takes to: listen to a song or listen to the news. This small grammar difference is a useful check when you write.
Correct: I heard the song. Correct: I listened to the song. Incorrect: I listened the song.
Separate sound from attention
A person can hear something without listening to it. For example, you might hear a television in another room but not know what the programme is about. If you sit down and follow the programme, you listen to it.
I could hear the radio in the kitchen, but I was not listening to it.
Use hear about for news
Hear about often means receive news about something. It does not require an actual sound in the moment. You can hear about a job, an event, or a change of plan from another person or from a message.
Did you hear about the new evening class?
Make one clear choice
You want to tell a friend to pay close attention to a doctor's advice. Which phrase fits: hear the doctor or listen to the doctor?
Use listen to the doctor. The advice needs attention. Hear the doctor would only say that the doctor's voice is audible.
Before you go
Remember this
Use hear when a sound or piece of news reaches you. Use listen to when you give attention to a sound, person, or message. Check the small word to after listen in a full sentence.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Hear or listen: receiving sound and paying attention"
What is the difference between hear and listen?
Hear usually means that a sound reaches your ears, whether or not you planned to notice it. Listen means that you give attention to a sound or person. You can hear rain while working and listen to rain when you choose to focus on it.
I could hear rain against the window during the meeting.
Why do we say listen to music?
Listen usually needs to before the person, sound, or thing receiving your attention. Say listen to music, listen to a friend, or listen to an announcement. Hear takes its object directly, as in hear music or hear an announcement.
After the meeting, I listened to the rain for a few minutes.
Can I hear something without listening to it?
Yes. You may hear a television, traffic, or a conversation because the sound is present, but not pay attention to the content. Say that you listen to it when you deliberately focus on the words or sounds.
Can you hear the announcement from this platform?
What does hear about mean?
Hear about means receive news or information about something. For example, you can hear about a workshop from a colleague. This use concerns information, while listen to a workshop recording means paying attention to the recorded talk.
Please listen to the announcement before you board the train.
Can listen be used without to?
Yes, when the object is not stated. You can say Be quiet and listen. Use to when you name what the person should focus on, as in Listen to the doctor or Listen to the safety message.
We heard a strange noise outside the flat last night.
Questions & comments
Ask about this lesson, share an example, or help another learner.
