Figure out means to understand or solve something: how something works, why something happened, what to do next. It is usually used when you find the answer yourself by thinking, trying different options or putting facts together.
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figure out + how/why/what + clause; figure out + the answer/problem; figure + it + out
- It took me an hour to figure out how the new printer works.
- We still can't figure out why the app keeps crashing on older phones.
- I couldn't figure out the bus route, so I asked a local for directions.
What changed
First versionIt took me a week to figure out in the new accounting program.
RevisionIt took me a week to figure out the new accounting program.
Figure out takes no preposition before the thing you are trying to understand, so figure out in the program is wrong. The object follows directly: figure out the program. You can also be more specific: figure out how the program works.
Find out means to learn a fact that someone already knows, by asking, reading or checking: I found out the price on their website. Figure out means to reach the answer through your own thinking: I figured out why the price was so high. With a pronoun, the order changes: figure it out, not figure out it.
Your turn
I didn't search online; I ___ the answer myself by drawing a simple diagram.
Show the answer
figured out — The writer didn't search online but reached the answer alone with the help of a diagram, so figured out is right. Found out would fit if the answer came from a ready-made source: a friend, an article, a website.
Think of a new device, app or task that you understood without anyone's help. Say what exactly you understood and how long it took.
Without anyone's help, I figured out how to set up automatic backups on my laptop, and it took me about twenty minutes.
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