Persuade means to get someone to do something by talking to them; convince means to make someone believe that something is true. The line isn't strict: convince someone to do something also means persuading them. But when it's about opinions and certainty, use convince: I'm convinced means “I'm completely sure”. For ordinary certainty, I'm sure is enough.
persuade or convince — can you pick the right one?
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persuade + person + to + verb; convince + person + that + clause; convince + person + of + something; be convinced (that)
- I finally persuaded my dad to see a doctor about his back pain.
- The survey results convinced the team that the new design was working.
- She's convinced she left her umbrella on the train this morning.
What changed
First versionHe couldn't convince the police in his innocence.
RevisionHe couldn't convince the police of his innocence.
The mistake is in the preposition: convince is followed by of, not in: convince someone of something. If a whole idea follows, use that: He couldn't convince the police that he was innocent.
Persuade describes an action you got someone to take, not a change in their views. You can persuade someone without changing their mind: I persuaded him to come, but he still thinks it's a bad idea. He came because he gave in, not because he was convinced.
Your turn
Tom is absolutely ___ that he locked the door, but it was open when we got back.
Show the answer
convinced — This is about Tom's own firm belief: he's sure he locked the door, and nobody talked him into it. Being completely sure is be convinced. Persuaded describes the result of someone talking you into something, and there was nothing like that here.
Think of a time you persuaded a friend or colleague to do something. Write what they did in the end and what argument convinced them.
I persuaded my colleague to take the train instead of driving by showing him it was faster and cheaper.
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