determine and find share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. determine means “establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study”. find means “come upon, as if by accident; meet with”. find is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/dəˈtɝmən/
1.v.establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
“find the product of two numbers”
2.v.shape or influence; give direction to
“experience often determines ability”
3.v.fix conclusively or authoritatively
“set the rules”
/ˈfaɪnd/
1.v.come upon, as if by accident; meet with
“We find this idea in Plato”
2.v.discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
“She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water”
3.v.come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost
“Did you find your glasses?”
| determine | find | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /dəˈtɝmən/ | /ˈfaɪnd/ |
| Said | duh-TUR-muhn | fahynd |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Letters | 9 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | verb | verb, noun |
| Senses | 8 | 18 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | find, find out, ascertain | happen, chance, bump |
Full entry for determine · Full entry for find · More comparisons