One describes how you feel. The other describes what caused that feeling. This simple rule unlocks dozens of adjective pairs in English.
GrammarAdjectivesA2–B15 min readUpdated 13 June 2026
Quick answer:Bored describes how a person feels (uninterested, restless): “I was so bored during the long meeting.”Boring describes the quality of something that causes boredom: “The lecture was extremely boring.” Rule: -ed = how you feel; -ing = what causes that feeling.
Comparison Table
Word
Type
Meaning
Example
bored
adjective (-ed)
feeling uninterested and restless; experiencing boredom
I am bored — there’s nothing to do.
boring
adjective (-ing)
causing boredom; not interesting or stimulating
The film was really boring.
-ed Adjectives Describe Feelings
-ed participial adjectives describe the state of the person experiencing the emotion. The person is the subject. Examples:
I am bored.
She was tired.
They were excited.
He felt confused.
We were amazed.
Using Bored
Bored describes how a person feels — uninterested and restless. It is often followed by of or with (I’m bored of this / I’m bored with this).
I was so bored during the long meeting.
The children were bored by lunchtime.
She gets bored easily at parties.
I’m bored of watching TV — let’s go for a walk.
-ing Adjectives Describe Causes
-ing participial adjectives describe the thing that produces the feeling in others. The subject is what causes the emotion. Examples:
The book is boring.
The speech was tiring.
The news is shocking.
The result was surprising.
Using Boring
Boring describes the quality of a thing — it causes boredom; it is not stimulating or interesting.
The lecture was extremely boring.
I don’t want to read that — it looks boring.
The meeting was long and boring.
He found the journey incredibly boring.
The Full Pattern
-ed (feeling)
-ing (cause)
bored
boring
excited
exciting
tired
tiring
frightened
frightening
interested
interesting
confused
confusing
amazed
amazing
surprised
surprising
disappointed
disappointing
exhausted
exhausting
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1 — Most embarrassing error
✗ I am boring. (said by learner who feels bored)
✓ I am bored. Note: “I am boring” means OTHER PEOPLE find you uninteresting. A very different meaning!
Mistake 2 — -ed for the thing
✗ The film was bored.
✓ The film was boring.
Mistake 3 — -ing for the person’s feeling
✗ She was boring during the lesson. (meaning she felt bored)
✓ She was bored during the lesson.
Quick Quiz
Q1: “The documentary was really __.”
boring — the documentary (a thing) causes boredom.
Q2: “I was really __ during the maths lesson.”
bored — I (a person) was experiencing boredom.
Q3: “That book sounds __ — I don’t think I’ll read it.”
boring — the book (a thing) is expected to cause boredom.
Practice More
Grammar Quiz — test your grammar with multiple-choice questions.
Bored is a -ed adjective describing how a person feels: uninterested and restless. Boring is a -ing adjective describing the quality of something that causes boredom. Rule: -ed describes the experiencer’s feelings; -ing describes the cause.
Why is “I am boring” wrong when I mean I feel bored?
“I am boring” means other people find YOU uninteresting — you cause boredom in others! “I am bored” means YOU are experiencing boredom. This is one of the most embarrassing ESL mistakes because the meaning changes completely.
What does “I’m bored of” or “I’m bored with” mean?
Both “bored of” and “bored with” mean you have lost interest in something: “I’m bored of this TV show” / “I’m bored with my routine.” Both are standard British English. In formal writing, “bored with” is preferred, but both are widely used in speech.
Yes! “She is a boring person” means she causes boredom in others — she is uninteresting company. This is correct and not a grammar error. The difference: “She is boring” (she is uninteresting) vs “She is bored” (she is experiencing boredom right now).
Can a thing be described as “bored”?
No. Things (books, films, lectures) cannot experience feelings, so they cannot be “bored.” They are “boring” (causing boredom) or “not boring” (interesting, engaging). Only conscious beings who can experience emotions can be described with -ed adjectives.
How do I choose between -ed and -ing?
Ask: Is the subject feeling the emotion, or causing it? If the subject (person/animal) FEELS the emotion → use -ed. If the subject (thing/event/person) CAUSES the emotion in others → use -ing.
What is the verb that bored and boring come from?
Both come from the verb “to bore”: “The lecture bores me” → “I am bored by the lecture” / “The lecture is boring.” The verb “to bore” means to make someone feel uninterested. So “boring” is the active present participle (what the lecture does), and “bored” is the passive past participle (what has happened to the person).
Is “boredom” the noun?
Yes. “Boredom” is the noun: “I was dying of boredom.” You can also use “a bore” as a noun for a person or thing that causes boredom: “He’s such a bore!” or “The commute is a real bore.” The adjective chain: bore (verb/noun) → bored (-ed adjective, feeling) → boring (-ing adjective, cause) → boredom (noun, state).
How does this pattern help with IELTS and Cambridge exams?
This is a classic exam area. Examiners specifically check whether learners use -ed and -ing adjectives correctly. Saying “I am boring” instead of “I am bored” is an error that reduces your grammatical range score. Mastering the pattern — and applying it to multiple pairs (tired/tiring, interested/interesting, etc.) — shows grammatical range and accuracy.
Practice What You’ve Learned
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