Insights and Thoughts

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Alvaro about the usage of the words “insight” and “thought.”

Question

Dear Teacher,

I want to ask you the difference between "insights" and "thoughts."

Best Regards,

Alvaro

Answer

Thank you for writing to us, Alvaro. I'm happy to answer this question.

“Thoughts” is a more general word than “insights.” A thought can be specific, as the following examples show:

I think we should go shopping tomorrow.

I think the dog might be hungry.

Thoughts can also be a collection of ideas about a subject. For example, we ask, “What are your thoughts on this?” That can mean we want people to share any ideas that they have about the subject. It can also mean that we want to know a person's opinion.

To have insight means to have a special understanding of something. A person with insight might notice something that most people do not see or understand. A person with insight might find a new solution to a problem. Insight often results from having a lot of experience with a particular subject or activity.

We can say that someone has “insight into someone or something.” For example, a good psychologist might have insight into why a person is feeling or behaving in a particular way.

Notice that with the noun “insight,” we often use the preposition “into” after it.

With “insight,” we often use the verbs “have” or “gain,” as in the following examples:

Their manager has a lot of insight into what the workers need.

By carefully watching the children's behavior, the researchers gained insight into how children try to solve problems.

The adjective form of “insight” is “insightful,” and the adjective form of “thought” is “thoughtful.” To be thoughtful has two meanings. It can mean to be kind or to take care of the needs of others. For example, a thoughtful person may listen carefully to a friend who is upset and then offer to help that person. So, when someone does something nice to help us, we might say:

Oh, that is so thoughtful of you. Thanks.

“Thoughtful” can also describe someone who has been thinking carefully.

For our readers and listeners, what are your thoughts about American English? Do you have any insights to share? Or perhaps you simply have a question about particular words. We'd like to hear from you. Send us an email at Hxen.net. And please include where you are from in your email, too.

And that's Ask a Teacher.

I'm Andrew Smith.

Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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specific –adj. the exact example of something and not any of other similar things

particular –adj. the specific thing that is being discussed

preposition –n. a small word that provides additional information about a noun, such as direction, degree or location