Attain and obtain are two words that are easily confused because they sound similar and have similar meanings. However, there is a distinct difference that dictates when to use attain vs obtain.
Here we will take a look at the definitions of these two words and some examples that show when to use them. We also have a helpful tip for remembering the difference next time you need to use attain or obtain in a sentence.
Attain vs obtain: What’s the difference?
The words attain and obtain essentially both mean get but the key difference is in the process of the ‘getting’.
Attain
When we attain something, it is an achievement or accomplishment that we have put some significant effort into. There is an implication of progression, growth or exertion. We generally use attain to talk about abstract nouns and intangible things (goals, age, status, etc.):
- Julia has attained a high position and a great deal of respect during her 10 years working with us.
- It took me four years of dedication to attain my goal of becoming a qualified dance teacher.
Obtain
Obtain refers to coming into possession of, acquiring, or procuring something physical (a concrete noun). It may take some effort or planning, but there is not such an emphasis on this as there is with attain:
- Police were unable to obtain any credible witness statements following the robbery.
- Have you managed to obtain all of the ingredients required for the recipe?
In informal situations, it’s more common to use the verb get in place of obtain:
- Did you manage to get tickets for tonight’s game?
- I couldn’t get a copy of the newspaper because they’ve sold out.
- My Dad never though I’d get such a good result in my test.
An easy way to remember the difference between attain and obtain
Try remembering it this way:
We Attain an Achievement or Accomplishment.
We Obtain an Object.
Now you understand the difference between attain and obtain, let’s look at some common collocations (word pairs) using these verbs.
Commonly confused words using attain or obtain
There are particular nouns that can seem ambiguous when deciding whether to use attain or obtain with them.
Here we have listed some of the most commonly questioned words as a quick-reference guide. Many of these are abstract nouns – ideas or concepts that can’t be physically touched – which may be why they cause such confusion.
Words that usually use ‘attain’
- Experience
- A degree
- A skill
- Sobriety
- A result
- An education
- Employment
- A score
- Understanding
- A position
- A victory
- A certification
- Knowledge
- A license
- Justice
- Success
Perhaps the only exceptions would be in circumstances where the thing was very easily obtained, with little skill or effort required. In the case of a license, for example, filling in a form to obtain a fishing license is very different to the effort and time needed to attain a driver’s license.
Words that usually use ‘obtain’
- Permission
- Information
- Approval
- Services
- Products
- A patent
- A trademark
- A passport
- Data
- Money
- Funding
See also: Borrow vs Lend
What to avoid when choosing between attain vs obtain
If you’re still not sure about the difference between attain and obtain when considering a particular noun, you may be tempted to use a search engine.
If you search for the phrases “attain ___” and “obtain ___”, keeping the inverted commas and inserting your word query, you will see how often each phrase is used. However, this is not a reliable way to know which is correct.
In the example below, you can see that there are around ten times more occurrences of “obtain a degree” than “attain a degree”. But from what we learned above, it is correct to say “attain a degree” because it is an intangible achievement.
Perhaps because ‘attain’ is a less commonly used word than ‘obtain’, many people default to using ‘obtain’ when they are unsure which is correct. This may account for the disproportionately high usage of the incorrect variant.
To conclude: obtain vs attain
We hope this has helped you understand the difference between attain and obtain and when to use each word in English. If you’re still uncertain about anything, you are welcome to leave a comment below.
This pair of words is similar to assume and presume, in that although they have different meanings, they are similar enough that you won’t be misunderstood if you make the wrong choice.
Next, why not check out some more commonly confused word pairs?
