Adapt vs Adopt at a glance
- adapt
/əˈdæpt/ · verb
To change something, or change yourself, to fit a new situation.
- It took me a few months to adapt to life in London.
- The novel was adapted into a TV series.
- adopt
/əˈdɒpt/ · verb
To legally take someone else's child (or an animal) into your family, or to start using an idea or method.
- They adopted a cat from the animal shelter.
- The company has adopted a four-day working week.
How to remember it
adApt = Alter. adOpt = make it your Own. The vowel sound follows the letter: /æ/ as in 'cat' for adapt, /ɒ/ as in 'hot' for adopt.
Good to know
Adapt is often followed by "to": adapt to a new job. Adopt takes a direct object: adopt a child, adopt a plan. In American English, adopt is pronounced /əˈdɑːpt/.
Common mistakes
Wrong: Animals have to adopt to changes in climate.
Right: Animals have to adapt to changes in climate.
Wrong: My parents adapted me when I was a baby.
Right: My parents adopted me when I was a baby.
Quick quiz
1.Children usually to a new school quite quickly.
2.The government plans to a new approach to housing.
3.We want to a dog from a rescue centre.
Pick the right word for each gap.