Implying is when someone states something that could have a different interpretation or meaning, without directly meaning or saying it but giving slight hints. For example:
Friends who pick up their phones even in the middle of the night, just to comfort you are the ones you would want to keep.
The person seems to be implying that if someone is a good friend, they would pick up their phone when you need them even if it is during an inconvenient time.
Inferring is when the person is interpreting the statement differently from what was said, and adding “therefore so-and-so it is really like this…”, or taking a different meaning of the statement besides the literal one. For example:
Jasmine must have thought that I’m not a good friend and did not care because I missed her call around 2 AM, because I was deeply asleep.
The person is making inferences or a guess what the first example meant, even if it is possible that the first example is just simply saying so and not trying to make anyone feel bad.
When I read your post, I was able to get more insight on the difference between inferring and implying. Before reading this section, it was very hard to distinguish the difference between these two words because they are usually used in very similar settings. When we imply things, it is up to the person on the opposing end’s interpretation. Usually when we imply things, we make hints to others about the idea that we want to get across. When we infer things, we are more open to let it be known exactly what the message is that we want to get across. Inferences would just be another way to state exactly what we want. Great post and great explanations!
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