Remember, Remind, Recall, Recollect: What’s the Difference?
English has several verbs for talking about memory, and at first glance, they all seem to mean the same thing. Remember, remind, recall, recollect… Surely they’re just different words for the same idea?
Well… yes and no.
They are related, but they are not interchangeable. Each one is used in a slightly different way, and using the wrong one can make your sentence sound unnatural — especially in B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE) writing and speaking.
In this lesson, you will learn:
- The exact difference between remember, remind, recall, and recollect
- How to use remember with infinitive and -ing
- Which verbs can (and can’t) talk about not forgetting
- And how to sound more precise and natural when talking about memory
Let’s clear it all up.
Remember
Basic meaning
To remember means to have something in your memory or to bring it back to your mind.
- Lucy vividly remembered the day she first met her husband.
- I can’t remember his face, but his name rings a bell.
- John couldn’t remember where he had parked his car.
Remember + to + verb (infinitive)
Meaning: not to forget to do something (the action is in the future)
- I must remember to lock the door before I go to bed.
- Remember to pay the electricity bill.
(= Don’t forget to do it.)
Remember + verb-ing (gerund)
Meaning: to recall something that already happened
- I remember leaving my phone here.
- Darren remembered seeing his friend crossing the street.
Key contrast:
I remembered to call her. → I didn’t forget.
I remember calling her. → I recall the moment in the past.
This difference is very important for exams.
Remind
Remind is not about your memory. It’s about helping someone else remember — or making someone think of something.
- Remind someone to do something
- Please remind me to send the invitations.
- Thanks for reminding me to check my email.
- Jane reminded her husband to renew his driving licence.
Remind someone of something means to make them think of it.
- Watching the children play reminds me of my childhood.
- That smell reminds me of our holiday in Greece.
- This dog reminds me of the one we used to have.
Important
You cannot say:
❌ I remind doing it.
❌ I remind that I must call her.
Recall
Recall is more formal than remember and is often used in careful speech or writing, when talking about actively accessing memory and in fixed expressions like: as far as I recall
- As far as I recall, there was some milk in the fridge.
- I can’t recall his exact words.
- She recalled meeting him once before.
Remember vs recall
They are often interchangeable – I remember / recall seeing him at the bank. But there is one big difference – remember can mean not to forget to do something and recall cannot.
✅ Remember to call me when you get home.
❌ Recall to call me when you get home. (wrong)
Another meaning of recall
In business and news English:
To recall a product = to ask people to return it because it is dangerous or faulty.
- The company recalled the car because of a serious defect.
Recollect
Recollect means to remember something, but it is more formal, less common in everyday conversation and often used when the memory is unclear or distant.
- I can’t quite recollect what he said.
- She recollected being in that restaurant many years ago.
- After all those years, he could no longer recollect the details.
Simple summary
|
Verb |
Main idea |
|
Remember |
Have something in your memory / not forget |
|
Remind |
Help someone else remember / make someone think of something |
|
Recall |
Formally access your memory |
|
Recollect |
Formally remember, often something distant or vague |
Using the right verb makes your writing more precise, makes your speaking sound more advanced, helps you avoid classic B2–C1 mistakes and shows control of nuance and style
Small words. Big difference. Like wearing the right shoes to a job interview.
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