Ad vs. Add – What’s the Gist?
The spelling is similar; the pronunciation is the same. However, these two words are not interchangeable.
- Ad is short for the word advertisement.
- Add is a verb expressing an increase in something.
Knowing their function in a sentence will help you identify between these two homophones.
How to Use Ad in a Sentence
Ad definition: Although the word ad is a shortened form, it is an acceptable term to use, even in formal writing. Ad is a noun, meaning either advertisement or advertising and often functions as an attributive noun.
For example:
- During football season, there seem to be a lot of beer ads on TV. (Noun)
- Newspaper ads were the primary way to look for a job. (Nouns)
- The ad agency developed an ad campaign that bolstered sales for the company. (Attributive Noun)
Remember, an attributive noun is a noun that acts as a descriptive adjective and (oftentimes) is so closely related to the second noun that it appears as a singular, compound noun. The term brick house would be another example of an attributive noun modifying another noun.
How to Use Add in a Sentence
Add definition: The word add acts as a transitive verb and means to join in a way to bring about an increase; or to say more; or to include members.
For example:
- The math teacher added the numbers together and showed the sum. (Past Tense Verb)
- After finishing the announcements, the secretary asked if other members had anything further to add. (Infinitive)
- The administrator added her to the email loop for the group. (Past Tense Verb)
Add also functions as an intransitive verb, which expresses action but doesn’t have a direct object. The meanings are similar: to perform addition; or to unite by addition.
For example:
- The website requests added daily to the number seeking unemployment. (Past Tense Verb)
The word originates from the Latin form of addere, which means to put or place.
Outside Examples of Ad vs. Add
- The new 30-second ad uses audio from a recent interview Foxx had with the Chicago Reader’s Ben Joravsky on his podcast. –Chicago Tribune
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is seeking to turn the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill responding to the coronavirus pandemic to his political advantage with a new campaign ad that touts his role in passing “the biggest economic rescue package in history.” –The Washington Post
- [Dr. Fauci] added that because of the delay in the onset of the illness, even if the number of new cases begins to flatten, “the deaths will be about one to two weeks more.” –The New York Times
- The Times will continue to publish an electronic replica of the newspaper every day at tampabaytimes.com, and the company said it would add pages to the replica edition as it suspends days in print. –Tampa Bay Times
Phrases That Use Ad and Add
There are some phrases for the words ad, advertising, and add, including:
Place an ad: To put information in a location meant for advertisements in order to generate interest in a product or service.
- He placed an ad on Craigslist, looking for a roommate.
False advertising: False or misleading information given about a product.
- False advertising caused her to purchase a product that delivered dismal results.
Add insult to injury: A damaging act that is made worse in some way.
- It just added insult to injury when the insurance company wouldn’t pay the innocent car owner for the damage done by their client.
Add fuel to the fire: Accelerating an already bad situation into something worse.
- His poor attitude, after being confronted for coming in past curfew, just added fuel to the fire.
How to Remember These Words
It may be a bit of a challenge to remember which word to choose: the noun ad or the verb add, but here is an easy mnemonic device to recall.
When adding something together, you get more. The word add has one more letter d than the abbreviation ad does. Not to mention that this term is a shortened form of the word advertisement, reflecting the single letter d in ad.
Quiz: Ad or Add
- He looked at the want _______ in the paper.
- After trying on her own, she finally went to an _______ agency to help promote her brand.
- Listening carefully to the witness, the judge decided that the information just didn’t _______ up.
- _______ in the outstanding checks, he still couldn’t get his checkbook to balance.
Article Summary
Is ad or add correct? In spite of the fact that they are pronounced exactly the same, the words ad and add are not interchangeable.
If you are looking for a noun, choose the word ad. If you are looking for a verb, pick add.
- Ad is a noun.
- Add is a verb.
Quiz Answers
- Ads
- Ad
- Add
- Adding