In this blog, I’ll give you the differences and show you some examples of how to use FUN vs Funny.
This is a very common mistake I hear with people that are trying to learn English.
I’ve heard people say, “I’m having a funny time learning English,” whereas it should be, “I’m having a fun time learning English.”
I just wanted to help you guys out by sharing some differences as well as some examples.
- With the word fun it’s a noun, and it means enjoyable.
- I had a fun-enjoyable time at the beach.
- We had so much fun at the movies or you could say, we had an enjoyable time at the movies.
I think where the confusion can come in, is with spoken English. Fun can also be an adjective. It’s very common for me to say to my son, when he’s going to play with a friend, “Okay, bye, have a fun time with your friend!” In this case fun time, fun is an adjective.
The word “funny” is always used as an adjective. I’ll give you some examples.
- The book I’m reading is really funny,
- My dad is a very funny person.
We’re describing the object, the book, or we’re describing the person.
So when you hear the word fun, when you want to use it, think in your mind, “Could I substitute this with enjoyable?” If you can, you’re probably using it correctly.
Then with the word funny, think laughter, like are you able to laugh when you’re using the word funny, or substitute it with almost laughter? And if you are, you’re probably using it correctly.
So a couple more examples:
- It would be fun to go to Hawaii.
- The campfire last night was so fun.
Another interesting thing we say in English, “He was making fun of me”, which means “He was teasing me”. It can be used in like a non-offensive way as well, for example, “Hey are you making fun of me right now?” Kind of like in a fun, fun teasing way.
Examples with Funny:
- The TV series Friends is so funny. It makes me laugh all the time.
- My husband told me a really funny joke last night.
