Revised as of
29 Nov 2022
In this word confusion instance vs instant, Spisak points out that the plural, instants, sounds very like instance — Spisak also has a great tip for determining which to use when: “If you can swap in the word ‘example(s)’, use ‘instance(s)’; if you can swap in the word ‘moment(s)’, use ‘instant(s)’.
This could explain that line I read about “instance coffee has its moments”.
Instance is an example or an occurrence.
Police investigated five instances of criminal mischief to motor vehicles on Forest Avenue.
A student in the engineering academy, for instance, would have to take three engineering-specific electives.
There was an instance in a game in August where the catwalk came into play.
Instant is immediate or urgent.
Philip Roth’s Nemesis is an Instant Classic.
Starbucks announced last summer it would start retailing flavored instant coffee, and here it is.
Now think about the times when you fell victim to the instant desire to buy that new shiny thing.
Credit to: Instant
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Instance | Instant |
|---|---|
Plaque of Resolutions Against Slavery, Griffins Mills Presbyterian Church, New York, is Aland716‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — This resolution, for instance, is but one of many. |
“The Handle” Kodak Instant Camera is Malopez 21‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive
Plural for the noun: instances Third person present verb: instances |
Adjective; Noun
Plural for the noun: instants |
| Noun: An example or single occurrence of something
An example put forth in proof or illustration [Also called instanced dungeon in an online multiplayer video game] A zone, as a dungeon, to which access is limited to a player or group of players entering simultaneously and working together [Law] The institution and prosecution of a case [Archaic] Urgency in speech or action [Archaic] Motive or reason [Obsolete] An impelling motive Verb, intransitive: To exemplify Verb, transitive: To exemplify by an instance |
Adjective: Happening or coming immediately
[Dated] Urgent
[Dated; postpositive; in business letters] Of the current month [Archaic] Of the present moment Succeeding without any interval of time
Present
Adverb: Noun: An infinitesimal or very short space of time
The point of time now present or present with reference to some action or event [Informal] Instant coffee |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: It was a serious instance of corruption. The search finds every instance where the word appears. In this instance it mattered little. To cite a few instances . . . Each instance is one copy of the zone in which the quests, enemies, items, events, etc., are staged exclusively for the player or group accessing it, without interference from other player characters in the larger online population of the game server. The Federal Court of Australia at first instance and then on appeal denied judicial review. The Supreme Court hears cases at last instance only. Over twenty instances of sexual misconduct are currently being investigated. These companies don’t have the people resources; in certain instances, they don’t have the expertise. I don’t usually side with the management, but in this instance I agree with what they’re saying. Verb, intransitive: The poems which I have instanced are concrete and relatively glaring examples of the intangible difference which the change of language made in Rilke’s visions. Verb, transitive: Repeated in a new situation, the old formulations can often be misleading, as instanced by the examples of Baius and Jansenius in the seventeenth century. Well, it’s not actually illegal as instanced by the fact you can buy playing cards in the major stores. He instanced one Dublin firm where 10 workers use eight vans. |
Adjective: The offense justified instant dismissal. We can’t promise instant solutions. Have you any instant coffee? She won the lottery and became an instant millionaire. He has the instant desire to blame others when things go wrong. Your letter of the 6th instant concerns me. In the instant case, the direct given by the judge has not been shown to be inappropriate in the circumstances. He got instant relief from his headache. The instant case before the court will be shunted aside. Adverb: When the neighbors’ dog barked, ours instant replied with a howl. “Theoxena, although she were [instant] urged thereunto, could never be induced to marry againe” (De Montaigne). Noun: At that instant the sun came out. For an instant the moon disappeared. Instant is so easy to prepare. They arrived not an instant too soon. It was at the instant of contact. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: uninstanced Noun: counterinstance |
Adjective: instantaneous Adverb: instanter, instantly Noun: instancy, instantiation Verb: instantiate |
| History of the Word: | |
| Middle English via the Old French from the Latin instantia meaning presence, urgency, from instare meaning be present, press upon, from in- (upon) + stare (to stand).
The original sense was urgency, urgent entreaty, surviving in at the instance of. In the late 16th century, the word denoted a particular case cited to disprove a general assertion, derived from the medieval Latin instantia meaning example to the contrary (translating the Greek enstasis meaning objection); hence the meaning single occurrence. |
Late Middle English, 1350–1400, from the Latin instant- (stem of instāns), present participle of instāre meaning to be present, urgent, equivalent to in- (in-) + -stā- (stand) + -nt-, a present participle suffix. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Instance versus Instant
Apple Dictionary.com
Cambridge Dictionary: instance
De Montaigne, Michel. The Essays. Translated by John Florio. vol 2. ch 27. London: Edward Blount, 1603.
Dictionary.com: instance, instant
“Instant / Instance.” Commonly Confused Words. Vocabulary.com. n.d. Web. 12 Aug 2022. <https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/chooseyourwords/instant-instance/>.
Spisak, Kris. “‘Instance’ vs. ‘Instant’ (vs. ‘Instances’ vs. ‘Instants’).” Writing Tip 407. KrisSpisak.com. n.d. Web. 12 Aug 2022. <https://kris-spisak.com/writing-tip-instance-vs-instant/>.
WikiDiff: instance
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Coffee Break by Tanya Hall is in the public domain, via Public Domain Pictures.
