Quick answer: Use do for activities, tasks, and duties (especially when no physical product is created): do homework, do exercise. Use make for creating, producing, or causing something: make a cake, make a decision, make a noise. For a fuller definition, see the Cambridge Dictionary entry for ‘do’.
See also: Make vs Do — our full comparison of these two verbs, with extended collocation tables.
Comparison Table
| Word | Core idea | Common collocations |
|---|---|---|
| do | activities, tasks, duties, general actions | do homework, do the washing-up, do business, do your best, do a course |
| make | create, produce, cause, construct | make a cake, make a mistake, make a decision, make money, make friends |
When to Use Do
Use do when you are talking about an activity, duty, or task, particularly when no physical object is produced. Do is also used as a general-purpose verb when no more specific verb is available.
I need to do my homework.
She does the washing-up every evening.
He did a great job on that report.
We do business with several European companies.
Key Do Collocations
- do homework / do an exam / do a course
- do exercise / do sport / do yoga
- do the cleaning / do the laundry / do the dishes
- do your best / do damage / do harm / do good
- do a favour / do research / do business
When to Use Make
Use make when you are creating, producing, or constructing something, or when the result is a new object, plan, sound, or relationship. Make is also used in many fixed expressions about decisions, mistakes, and emotional states.
She made a beautiful cake for the party.
He made a lot of mistakes in the test.
We need to make a decision soon.
The children are making a lot of noise.
Key Make Collocations
- make a cake / make coffee / make a meal
- make a mistake / make an effort / make progress
- make a decision / make a plan / make a promise
- make money / make a profit / make a loss
- make friends / make an impression / make a difference
Common Mistakes
✗ I need to make my homework.
✓ I need to do my homework.
Note: homework is a task/duty → use do.
✗ I did a mistake in the exam.
✓ I made a mistake in the exam.
Note: mistakes are “made” in English — this is a fixed collocation.
✗ We need to do a decision.
✓ We need to make a decision.
Note: decisions are made, not done.
Also confusing: Earn vs Win, Bring vs Take, Borrow vs Lend. Browse all confusing word pairs →
Quick Check: Do or Make?
Four questions — choose the correct verb for each sentence.
1. “She ___ a lot of noise in the morning.”
2. “He always ___ his best at work.”
3. “Can you ___ a reservation for tonight?”
4. “I need to ___ the washing-up before dinner.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between do and make?
Do is used for activities, tasks, and duties, especially when no physical product is created. Make is used for creating, producing, or causing something. The key is learning the collocations for each verb.
Do you do or make homework?
You do homework. Homework is a task or duty, so it collocates with do. This is one of the most common mistakes made by learners of English.
Do you do or make a mistake?
You make a mistake. Mistake is a fixed collocation with make in English, even though in many other languages the equivalent verb means do.
Can do and make ever be used with the same noun?
Occasionally, but the meaning changes. “Do the cooking” means carry out the activity of cooking. “Make a meal” emphasises the result: producing a meal.
Is it “make exercise” or “do exercise”?
It is do exercise or do sport. In British English, you do yoga, do aerobics, do weight training. Make is not used with physical activity nouns.
What about “make an effort” — why not “do an effort”?
Make an effort is the fixed collocation. Similarly: make progress, make an attempt, make a suggestion. These are all “produced” results rather than tasks carried out.
Is it “make business” or “do business”?
It is do business. Business here refers to a professional activity or duty. However, “make a business” (= create a company) is possible: “She made a business out of her hobby.”
How do I remember which collocations use do and which use make?
A useful rule: if you can imagine holding the result in your hands (a cake, a decision on paper, money), use make. If it is an ongoing activity or duty (homework, sport, housework), use do. Learn the most common fixed phrases by heart.
What is “make do”?
“Make do” is a fixed phrase meaning to manage with whatever is available, even if it is not ideal: “We had to make do with a small tent.” It uses both verbs together.
How do do and make appear in IELTS?
In IELTS Writing and Speaking, collocations like make a decision, make an argument, do research, and do well are very common. Incorrect use of do/make is penalised under Lexical Resource. Learning fixed collocations improves your Band Score.