Both words come from the same verb, bore. But one describes how you feel, and the other describes what causes the feeling.
- Bored is how a person feels.
- Boring is what makes the feeling.
Bored: how you feel
Bored (the -ed word) tells us about the person who has the feeling.
I am bored. There is nothing to do.
The children felt bored on the long bus ride.
Mia looks bored.
Boring: what causes it
Boring (the -ing word) tells us about the thing or the person that causes the feeling.
The film was boring.
This lesson is boring.
The bus ride was long and boring.
Easy way to tell them apart
Ask: who feels it, and who causes it?
- The person who feels it gets the -ed word: bored.
- The thing that causes it gets the -ing word: boring.
The lesson is boring. The students are bored.
The same rule works for lots of pairs:
- excited / exciting
- tired / tiring
- interested / interesting
- surprised / surprising
💡 The OddLingo Trick
Think about who is doing and who is having.
The lesson is doing the boring (-ing). The students are having the bored feeling (-ed).
⚠️ Common mistakes
Do not call yourself boring by accident.
❌ I am boring in the film.
✅ I am bored in the film.
Do not call a film bored.
❌ The film was bored.
✅ The film was boring.
Put -ed words on people who feel, not on things.
❌ It was a bored lesson.
✅ It was a boring lesson.
📌 Good to know
- You can say bored with, bored of or bored by: I'm bored with this game. Bored with and bored by are the safest.
- Bored is a feeling, so you can ask: Are you bored? The answer is about you.
- Boring can describe a person: He is boring means he makes others bored. That is not very kind, so be careful.
💬 In a conversation
Sam: Are you bored?
Mia: No, I'm not bored. The film is boring.
Sam: What's the difference?
Mia: The film makes the feeling. I'm only the one who feels it.