act and behave share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. act means “perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)”. behave means “behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself”. act is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈækt/
1.v.perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
“think before you act”
2.v.behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
“You should act like an adult”
3.v.play a role or part
“Gielgud played Hamlet”
/bɪˈheɪv/
1.v.behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
“You should act like an adult”
2.v.behave in a certain manner
“She carried herself well”
3.v.behave well or properly
“The children must learn to behave”
| act | behave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈækt/ | /bɪˈheɪv/ |
| Said | akt | bi-HAYV |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 3 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | verb |
| Senses | 15 | 3 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | move | act, do |
Full entry for act · Full entry for behave · More comparisons