How to Remember the Difference Between Invoke and Evoke
If you have ever wondered if you should invoke something or invoke it, you are not alone. Not only do the words sound similar, but the difference in their meanings is negligible, and they are also unlikely to be words that we often use. That’s when the time has come to turn to the knowledge of the gods of grammar.
The first reason the two words can be difficult to distinguish is that they both come from the same Latin root word (“voice” or “vox”, which means “invoke” or “voice”). Both can mean “invoke” or “quote”, but there are some nuances in what you can summon versus what you can summon.
When to use invoke in a sentence
Although Invoke and Evocation are both used to calling things, invoke has a more “challenge to” connotation, in particular as it relates to power, help, or help of some kind. (This is why we turned to the knowledge of the gods of grammar who work through me to help clear up any confusion.)
You can exercise your Fifth Amendment entitlement, or you can summon a creative muse when you feel blocked.
When to use in a sentence call
Evocation more often means “cries out,” which sounds like the same thing, but is more about invoking a memory, image, or emotion into the mind. Smelling freshly made applesauce can bring up memories of a vacation at your grandmother’s house, but a bad attitude is unlikely to inspire sympathy in your partner.
How to remember the difference
It’s actually a struggle to remember the difference when you need to, but there are some tricks that might work for you. As Grammarly says:
The difference between the two can be summarized as follows: Invoke is active and direct, and it can have a significant effect; Evoke is passive and indirect and usually has an emotional or intellectual effect.
My takeaway is that if you remember that E voke is often associated with E- movements, most of the time you will be fine.
Merriam-Webster also notes that word lengthening can help clarify the difference when you get really stuck:
There is a bit of confusion about the longer forms of each word that can help you differentiate between the two. Examples of these include evocative , which means “awakening or seeking to elicit a particularly emotional response,” and invocation , which is often used in the sense of “invoking or calling for authority or justification.”
And now limerick for no good reason
And finally, since someone from Merriam-Webster must have felt particularly keen on this day, they also point out that if you are still confused, there is nothing to worry about. It’s just English like English, and here’s a cute limerick they wrote to prove it:
You think you might have made a slip
With your recent use of invoke
We offer a thesis
What is catachresis
Our language is designed to provoke
At least now we all know what catachresis means, and that’s already something.