There’s a good chance you only use one of these words, if you use one at all, and it’s probably envisage. And that’s all you really need. Both can basically mean the same thing: to imagine something, specifically to conjure up a mental image.
There is a slight distinction between the two though, if you want to know exactly how to use them to impress a language nerd.
If you envision something, it’s usually something hypothetical or in the future, and is generally positive:
I envision a world in which people don’t discriminate against each other based on arbitrary criteria.
To envisage something is to picture something more concrete, and not necessarily in the future. We often use it to refer to how something in the present is different from how we’d imagined it:
This meal isn’t what I’d envisaged.
To help separate the two, think of the words they contain.
Envision: we often refer to a dream or fantasy about the future as a vision.
Envisage: visage means face, from the French visage. Envisage actually comes from French, meaning to look something in the face, which is logical as you’re looking at something you know exists and is concrete, so you can easily picture its “face” and look into it.
That makes sense to me anyway, though I can’t envisage a situation in which you might really need to know the difference between the two.
English-Language Thoughts 
Useful 🙂
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Thanks 😊
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It seems to be a matter of definition. The default dictionary on my computer (I don’t know which) gives for envisage ‘contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event’ and envision ‘imagine as a future possibility; visualize’, which seem to be synonymous, unless you argued that ‘envision’ does not have to be desirable. But Dictionary.com (based on the Random House Dictionary) give for envisage ‘to contemplate; visualize’ (no mention of the future) and envision ‘to picture mentally, especially some future event or events’.
Whether I was using it or reading/hearing it, I wouldn’t stop to think about any possible difference.
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I don’t think I ever stop to think about which to use either, as its usually clear whether the thing you’re imaging is hypothetical or not anyway.
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I don’t think I’ve ever heard of “envisage”
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I think thats how it is for most people. You really only need to use one of them, so your brain chooses one, and even if it hears the other, chooses to ignore it.
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For some reason, I know exactly when to use these words correctly.
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Two words I never thought about mixing up. Interesting.
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Envision is still more dreamy… A beautiful word it is! 😀
I understand your explanation concerning envisage. Visage in French means “face”. It makes sense, don´t you think… Great post, dear Niall. Have a nice week xx
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Yeah, a face is much more concrete and detailed than a dreamy vision. Have a lovely week too 😊.
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I’m glad I went back and read some older posts this morning. I never heard of envisage, either. Or if I’ve seen it somewhere I maybe thought it was a typo.
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