What’s the difference between confidant and confident?

This week we are looking at two words which may be confused by learners of English: confidant and confident.

confidant

function playAudio(url) { new Audio(url).play(); }

Confidant /ˈkɒnfɪdænt/ is a countable noun.

A confidant is a person who you discuss your private problems and worries with. You use the spelling confidante when the person is a woman.

…Colonel Hawkins, a friend and confidant of President Woodrow Wilson.

She became her father’s only confidante.

confident

function playAudio(url) { new Audio(url).play(); }

Confident /ˈkɒnfɪdənt/ is an adjective.

If you are confident about something, you are certain that it will happen in the way you want.

He was confident that the problem with the engine could be fixed.

I feel confident about the future of British music.

People who are confident are sure of their own abilities.

… a witty, young and confident lawyer.

His manner is more confident these days.

Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Related Articles

Other Articles

Using semicolons

The semicolon is used to mark a break between two main clauses when there is a balance or a contrast between the clauses. Compare: The engine roared into life. The propellers began to turn. The plane taxied down the runway ready for takeoff. with: The engine roared into life; the propellers… Read More

Using bullet points

Using bullet points in a non-fiction text is a clear way to organize information you wish to present. The types of text that are suitable for bullet points are lists, notes, instructions, and information texts. To use bullet points correctly, there needs to be a piece of introductory text, ending… Read More

The 8 parts of speech in English

VERBS A verb tells us about an action or a state of being. Ordinary verbs are called main verbs. For example: come, go, think, want, escape, believe. A main verb is sometimes called a ‘doing word’. A special group of verbs are called auxiliary verbs. These can be put together with main verbs to… Read More