Condole vs. Console
Some words have very similar meanings that some people tend to become confused and use
them interchangeably or improperly. This is the case with the terms condole and console. Not
only do they have related meanings, their spellings are also set apart by a single-letter
difference. This post will try to identify their differences to help you use them more
accurately in your writing.
The word condole is most commonly used as an intransitive verb meaning “to express
sympathetic sorrow” or “to express sympathy for someone.”
KCR visits Bandaru to condole Vaishnav’s death
Telengana Today
US top commander calls Gen Qamar to condole Sabika’s death
The Express Tribune
Sridevi, Bollywood Legend, Condoled By PM, Others After Sudden Death
NDTV
On the other hand, the term console also functions as a verb which means “to comfort
someone at a time of grief or disappointment” or “to alleviate the grief, sense of loss, or
trouble of.”
Georginio Wijnaldum reveals why Liverpool players didn’t console Loris Karius after
Real Madrid defeat
Metro
Kenyan Bishops console families of Nakuru-Solai Dam tragedy
Vatican News
‘Bura na maan bhai’: This is why Virender Sehwag was ‘consoling’ a ‘sad’ PSU bank
officer on Twitter
The Indian Express
It may also function as a noun pertaining to several things including “an electronic system
that connects to a display, such as a television set, and is used primarily to play video
games,” “a cabinet as for a radio or television set designed to rest directly on the floor,” or
“an architectural member projecting from a wall to form a bracket or from a keystone for
ornament.”
Everyone Thought Mobile Would Kill Game Consoles. Here’s Why That Didn’t Happen
Forbes
Intellivision lives: Tommy Tallarico will relaunch 1980s console
VentureBeat
Cracking open Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition game console
CNET
Now that we’ve differentiated between the words condole and console, you should be able to
use them properly in your sentences. Keep in mind that condole is showing sympathy due to
a death while console is giving comfort.