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Aid vs Aide | Meaning, Difference & Examples

Aid vs Aide | Meaning, Difference & Examples

Commonly Confused Words updated on December 6, 2023 2 min read

Aid and aide are homonyms (i.e., they are pronounced the same but do not mean the same thing).

Aid is either a noun (meaning “assistance”) or a verb (meaning “help” or “assist”).
Aide is a noun (meaning “assistant” or “helper”).

Examples: Aid in a sentence	Examples: Aide in a sentence
The humanitarian organization provided aid to the disaster-stricken community.	The president’s trusted aide was by his side during meetings.
She volunteered to aid the elderly residents with their daily tasks.	The teacher’s aide assisted with classroom tasks.
The Red Cross dispatched volunteers to offer aid in the aftermath of the earthquake.	The research team included an experienced lab aide to assist with experiments.

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How to use aid as a verb

Aid is often used as a more formal version of the verb “help.”

Examples: Aid in a sentence
The teacher aided me in solving the challenging math problem.
The software’s built-in features will aid in data analysis.
Regular exercise can aid in improving overall health and fitness.

In a legal context, aid can be used in the phrase aid and abet to describe the act of assisting someone in a crime.

Examples: Aid and abet in a sentence
Two individuals conspired to aid and abet the criminal in his escape.

How to use aid as a noun

Aid can also be used as a noun. Depending on the context, it either means “assistance” or “relief.” It’s commonly placed after an adjective or attributive noun that specifies the type of help given (e.g., “financial”).

Examples: Aid as a noun
My grandmother is in need of aid after her surgery.
The government offers assistance to students, such as financial aid.
I couldn’t follow the presentation because my hearing aid was malfunctioning.

How to use aide as a noun

Aide is always used as a noun to refer to a person who is assisting somebody with something.

Examples: Aide as a noun
The teacher’s aide was late for her first day of work.
The senator’s legislative aide drafted a comprehensive bill for the upcoming session.
The celebrity’s personal aide managed her schedule and public appearances.

Commas	Parts of speech	Commonly confused words
Comma before because	Nouns	Flier vs flyer
Comma before such as	Collective nouns	Its vs it’s
Comma splice	Verbs	Use to or used to
Comma before or after but	Noun clauses	Alright vs all right
Comma before too	Predicate nominative	Affective vs effective

Frequently asked questions about aid vs aide

Is it visual aid or aide?

Visual aid is the only correct spelling. It describes a visual instructional device (e.g., a diagram) to help others understand the information presented. It can also refer to a device that helps one to see, such as glasses or a magnifying glass.

Aid often follows an attributive noun or adjective (e.g., “visual”) to specify the type of help.

“Visual aide” is a common misspelling.

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Is it teacher’s aid or aide?

Teacher’s aide is the only correct spelling. It refers to someone who assists a teacher but is not a qualified teacher themself. The noun “aide” means helper or assistant and always refers to a person.

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Is it job aid or job aide?

Job aid is the only correct spelling. It’s an instructional tool (such as a checklist) to improve work efficiency. The noun “aid” can be placed after an attributive noun or adjective (e.g., “job”) to describe the type of help given.

“Job aide” is a common misspelling.

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Julia Merkus

Julia has master's degrees in Linguistics and Language and speech pathology. Her expertise lies in grammar, language and speech disorders, foreign language learning, and child language acquisition.

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