Commonly confused
Turn up vs Turn down
“Turn up” and “Turn down” look alike but pull in different directions. Here is the quick way to tell them apart — with examples, the mistake to avoid, and a check.
Which one do you mean?
Up means increase or appear; down means decrease or refuse. Turn up raises volume or means arrive; turn down lowers it or means reject.
Turn up
Increase volume or heat, or arrive (often unexpectedly).
Turn down
Lower volume or heat, or refuse an offer.
turn up
- 1
Increase the setting on a machine or device
- 2
Appear, often unexpectedly
Correct use
“Turn up the brightness so we can see the screen.”
Increase the screen brightness.
turn down
- 1
Reject or refuse an offer or request
- 2
Lower the volume, heat or intensity of a device
- 3
Fold or pull bedding so it is ready to sleep in
Correct use
“Maya turned down the cafe worker's offer of a larger drink at the counter.”
Maya refused the offer of a larger drink.
Common mistake
She turned up the job offer.
She turned down the job offer.
To refuse something, use turn down.
Test yourself
“Turn up the brightness so we can see the screen.” What does it mean?
Sink In — iOS & Android
Stop mixing them up
Sink In turns confusable pairs like this into quick contrast drills, so the right particle becomes automatic instead of a guess.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
