Fun vs Funny at a glance
- fun
/fʌn/ · noun, adjective
Enjoyment, or describing something that is enjoyable to do.
- We had so much fun at the beach.
- Learning to surf was really fun.
- funny
/ˈfʌni/ · adjective
Making you laugh, or sometimes strange and hard to explain.
- His videos are so funny, I watch them every day.
- There's a funny smell in the kitchen.
How to remember it
Funny = you laugh. Fun = you have a good time. A theme park is fun; a comedian is funny.
Good to know
As a noun, fun is uncountable: have fun, a lot of fun (not "a fun" or "funs"). Fun as an adjective (a fun day) is common and accepted in modern English, though some people prefer it in informal use. Funny can also mean strange: "That's funny, I left my keys right here."
Common mistakes
Wrong: The party was really funny, we danced all night.
Right: The party was really fun, we danced all night.
Wrong: We had a lot of funny at the festival.
Right: We had a lot of fun at the festival.
Quick quiz
1.Have on your holiday!
2.She told a really story about her first job.
Pick the right word for each gap.