Hope vs. Wish

How to use "hope" and "wish" correctly

This is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.

You hope that something will come true or that something is true when there is a real possibility; you wish that something were true when you know there is no such possibility. The verb wish is often used with other verbs in the subjunctive mood.

I wish that he is all right.

I hope that he is all right. (He might actually be o.k.; his condition is unknown.)

I wish that he were all right. (subjunctive mood: I know that he is not all right.)

I wish that I will be able to go.

I hope that I will be able to go. (There is a possibility that I will be able to go.)

I wish that I were able to go. (subjunctive mood: I know that am not able to go.)

Related Resources

Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English

List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list

Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage

List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version

© 2006, 2008, and 2019 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.