Allude/Elude

By Annette Rey

Simple and quick…

These words are often used interchangeably yet they mean very different things.

Allude – is often followed by the word to – and means to refer to, hint at, imply.

• Marsha liked being coy and alluded she was dating Roy.
• Max alluded to Eileen that he had a secret.

Elude – means to evade by deception – examples are as in escaping from a pursuer or avoiding the consequences of the court. It also is used to show a person is not understanding something.

• Darkness made it easier to elude the gang of boys following her.
• The killer eluded justice for years.
• It was obvious the classroom lesson eluded several of the students.
• The message of abstract art eludes me.

Using both words in one sentence:

• In the picture above, the lettering on the stone alludes to the name of a company which, at present, eludes me.

I suggest using a mnemonic to help you remember the distinction between these words.

For ELUDE think of E for Escape – escaping a pursuer; the meaning of something escapes the understanding of someone.

If you have a hint for the letter A for Allude, please comment.