Practice
Hear and listen: what is the difference?
Sign in to saveA train announcement may reach your ears while you look for your ticket. When you stop to understand the platform number, you listen to the announcement.
Choose hear or listen by deciding whether a sound is simply audible or someone gives it attention.
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 for receiving or noticing a sound. Use listen, usually listen to, for paying attention to a sound, a person, or a message.
I heard the kettle boil, but I listened to the weather report.
Why it works: The kettle sound was noticed. The speaker chose to focus on the report.
5 more examples
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I heard a bicycle bell behind me on the path.
The sentence says that the bell was audible to the speaker.
Not this:I
listened to the guidebefore choosing a path. What changes: The speaker paid attention to the guide's words, so listen to is needed. -
Can you hear me clearly on this call?
The question is about whether the speaker's voice can be heard.
Not this:Please
listen to the whole questionbefore you answer. What changes: The listener needs to give the question attention before replying. -
We heard thunder shortly after lunch.
Thunder reached the group's ears; the sentence does not describe careful attention.
Not this:We
listened for thunderbefore leaving the shelter. What changes: The group actively tried to notice the sound. Listen for is useful when someone is waiting for a particular sound. -
I heard about the evening course from my cousin.
Hear about means receive information about something.
Not this:I
listened to the course introductionon the website. What changes: The speaker gave attention to recorded information. -
Mina did not hear the door because she was using a vacuum cleaner.
The sound was not audible enough for Mina to notice it.
Not this:Mina
listened to the voicemailwhen she finished cleaning. What changes: She then chose to focus on the recorded message.
Read the full guide
First, decide whether the sound comes to the person or the person turns their attention toward it. A sound can be easy to hear but still not be listened to. In a full sentence, remember that listen normally takes to before the object.
Use hear for a sound that reaches you
Use hear when a sound is audible to someone. The person may notice it by accident while doing something else. The sentence does not need to say that the person wanted to focus on the sound.
I heard the lift doors open while I was reading.
The doors made a sound that reached the speaker. Reading remained the speaker's main activity.
Use listen for attention
Listen describes an action. Choose it when a person deliberately gives attention to sounds or words. You can listen carefully, listen again, or listen quietly.
Listen to the pharmacist's advice before you leave.
The advice matters to the listener, so the instruction asks for attention rather than simple hearing.
Put to after listen when you name the object
Hear connects directly to its object: hear a noise or hear a song. Listen normally needs to before the thing or person receiving attention: listen to a noise or listen to a song.
Correct: We heard the song. Correct: We listened to the song. Incorrect: We listened the song.
You may leave out to when there is no stated object. Be quiet and listen is complete because the context supplies what to listen to.
A person can hear without listening
Hearing and listening can happen at different levels of attention. A radio in another room may be loud enough to hear, but you may not know the words. If you pause your work and follow the program, you are listening to it.
I could hear the neighbors talking, but I was not listening to their conversation.
Use hear about for information
Hear about often means receive news or information. You might hear about a job opening, a local event, or a change to a meeting. There may be no sound in front of you when you receive the news.
When did you hear about the timetable change?
Use listen to when you focus on a spoken or recorded source of information instead.
Choose by asking one question
You want your friend to pay attention to a manager's instructions. Which phrase fits: hear the manager or listen to the manager?
Use listen to the manager. The instruction is about paying attention to the manager's words. Hear the manager would only say that the voice is audible.
Before you go
Remember this
Use hear when a sound or news reaches you. Use listen to when you focus on a sound, a person, or a message. Check the meaning first, then check whether to is needed after listen.
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 and listen: what is the difference?"
What is the difference between hear and listen?
Hear usually means that a sound reaches your ears or that you notice it. Listen means that you pay attention to a sound or to someone's words. You can hear traffic outside and listen to a friend who needs to explain something.
I heard a bicycle bell behind me on the path.
Why do we say listen to music?
Listen usually uses to before the person, sound, or thing receiving attention. Say listen to music, listen to a podcast, or listen to a teacher. Hear takes an object directly, as in hear music or hear a teacher.
I listened to the guide before choosing a path.
Can you hear something without listening to it?
Yes. A sound may reach your ears while your attention is elsewhere. For example, you may hear a television in another room without following the program. When you deliberately follow the words or sounds, you listen to it.
Can you hear me clearly on this call?
What does hear about mean?
Hear about means receive news or information about something. You might hear about a new class from a colleague or a message. It differs from listen to, which describes giving attention to a spoken or recorded source.
Please listen to the whole question before you answer.
Can listen be used without to?
Yes, when you do not name the object. Be quiet and listen is a complete instruction. Use to when you say what the person should focus on, as in listen to the guide or listen to the announcement.
We heard thunder shortly after lunch.