Born vs. borne

What does born mean?

Born is an adjective which means having a specific nationality or the natural ability to do a particular thing. Born can also be used as a passive-voice verb (to be born) which means to come into existence as a result of birth.

For example:

• The Australian-born writer is touring Europe at the moment (nationality).

• She was born to be an artist (natural ability).

• The company was born from the ashes of its predecessor (come into existence).

What does borne mean?

Borne is an adjective which means carried or transported by something. Borne is also the past participle of the verb bear.

Flagrant is a stronger word than blatant and implies the act is illegal or strongly immoral.

For example:

• Betty the dog has borne several show-winning puppies.

• The restaurant was shut after a foodborne illness made customers ill.

What’s the difference between born and borne?

As an adjective, born means a specific nationality or the natural ability to do a particular thing while borne means carried or transported by something. As verbs, born can be used in the passive voice to mean come into existence as a result of birth while borne is the past participle of the verb bear.

• The Australian-born chef was fired after a foodborne illness made customers ill.