Grammar B1–B2 6 min read Updated 10 June 2026

Quick answer: Rise is intransitive — the subject moves up on its own with no direct object: “The sun rises at 6am.” Raise is transitive — someone or something lifts an object: “Raise your hand.” If you can answer “raise what?” with a noun, use raise. If there is no object, use rise.

Comparison Table

WordPart of SpeechMeaningExample
riseintransitive verb / nounto move upward by itself; an increase or upward movementPrices rise every year.
raisetransitive verb / nounto lift or move something upward; to bring up a topic or a child; a pay increaseShe raised the flag.

Using Rise (Intransitive Verb)

Rise is an intransitive verb, which means it never takes a direct object. The subject of the sentence performs the action by itself — nothing is being acted upon. Common subjects include the sun, prices, water levels, temperature, bread dough, and people getting up from a seated position.

Rise is an irregular verb: rise / rose / risen.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

The river has risen by two metres after the heavy rain.

Inflation rose sharply last quarter.

She rose from her chair to greet the guests.

Rise as a Noun

As a noun, rise means an upward movement or an increase: a rise in temperature, a rise in crime, the rise of a new political party. In British English, a pay rise is an increase in salary (Americans say raise for this meaning).

Common Phrases with Rise

  • rise to the occasion (perform well under pressure)
  • rise to power (gain political or social authority)
  • give rise to (cause or produce something)
  • on the rise (increasing, becoming more common)
  • rise and shine (get up and be energetic)

Using Raise (Transitive Verb)

Raise is a transitive verb, which means it always requires a direct object — something or someone being moved upward or brought up. You cannot simply raise; you must always raise something. Common objects include a hand, a flag, money, children, a question, an objection, or a salary.

Raise is a regular verb: raise / raised / raised.

Please raise your hand if you know the answer.

The charity raised over £50,000 for the hospital.

He raised an important point during the meeting.

They raised three children in a small flat in London.

Raise as a Noun

In American English, a pay raise is an increase in salary: “She asked her boss for a raise.” In British English, the same concept is called a pay rise. Both forms are correct in their respective varieties of English.

Common Phrases with Raise

  • raise awareness (make people more aware of an issue)
  • raise funds / raise money (collect money for a cause)
  • raise a question / issue / concern (bring something up for discussion)
  • raise the bar (set a higher standard)
  • raise eyebrows (cause surprise or mild disapproval)
  • raise the alarm (alert people to danger)

Memory Trick

The key test is simple: ask “raise what?” If you can name an object, use raise. If there is no object — the subject just moves up on its own — use rise.

Another way to remember: raise is regular (raise/raised/raised) and always requires someone else — both the regularity and the need for an object make it the “controlled” verb. Rise is irregular (rise/rose/risen) and free — it changes shape spontaneously, just as the sun rises without any help.

Memory shortcut: RAISE = Requires An Item Somewhere Else. If there is no item, choose rise.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1 — Using rise with a direct object

✗ Please rise your hand.
✓ Please raise your hand.
Rise cannot take an object. Whenever a body part, flag, or thing is being lifted by someone, use raise.

Mistake 2 — Using raise instead of rise for natural movements

✗ The sun raises at dawn.
✓ The sun rises at dawn.
The sun moves on its own — nobody lifts it. Use rise for any self-propelled upward movement.

Mistake 3 — Wrong past tense for rise

✗ Prices rised last year.
✓ Prices rose last year.
Rise is irregular: rise → rose → risen. Never add -d or -ed.

Mistake 4 — Confusing “give rise to” with “give raise to”

✗ The new policy gave raise to a lot of controversy.
✓ The new policy gave rise to a lot of controversy.
The fixed phrase is always give rise to — it means to cause or produce something.

Practice Links

Test your understanding with interactive exercises:

More Confusing Words

  • Lie vs Lay — another intransitive/transitive pair that trips up learners.
  • Bare vs Bear — homophones with very different meanings.
  • Affect vs Effect — verb vs noun, one of the most common mix-ups.
  • Passed vs Past — identical pronunciation, different grammar roles.
  • Brake vs Break — spelling confusion with real-world consequences.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between rise and raise?
Rise is an intransitive verb — the subject moves upward by itself with no direct object: “The sun rises,” “Prices rose.” Raise is a transitive verb — it always requires a direct object, something being lifted or brought up by someone: “Raise your hand,” “She raised the flag.” The key test: if you can ask “raise what?” and name an object, use raise. If there is no object, use rise.
Can rise take a direct object?
No. Rise is intransitive and never takes a direct object. This is the most important rule: the subject of rise acts on its own — “The bread rises,” “Her voice rose,” “He rose from his seat.” If you want to lift or move something else, you must use raise: “Raise the bread tin to the top shelf” uses raise because a person is acting on an object.
What are the past tenses of rise and raise?
Rise is irregular: rise (present) → rose (past simple) → risen (past participle). Examples: “The river rose overnight”; “Prices have risen again.” Raise is regular: raise → raised → raised. Examples: “She raised her hand”; “They have raised enough money.” A common mistake is saying “rised” — this is always wrong. The past of rise is always rose.
Is it “raise the alarm” or “rise the alarm”?
The correct phrase is “raise the alarm” — it uses raise because there is a direct object (the alarm) being activated by a person. “Raise the alarm” means to alert people to a danger or emergency: “She raised the alarm when she smelled smoke.” “Rise the alarm” is incorrect — rise cannot take an object.
What does “give rise to” mean?
Give rise to is a fixed phrase meaning to cause or produce something, often a situation or feeling: “The new regulations gave rise to widespread protests”; “His comments gave rise to speculation.” It always uses rise, never raise. You cannot say “give raise to” — this is a common error. The phrase is formal and frequently appears in academic and journalistic writing.
Is a salary increase called a rise or a raise?
Both are correct depending on which variety of English you use. In British English, an increase in salary is called a pay rise: “She asked for a pay rise.” In American English, it is called a raise or pay raise: “He got a raise.” If you are writing for a British audience, use rise; for an American audience, use raise. In other contexts — prices, water levels, temperature — both varieties use rise.
What does “rise to the occasion” mean?
Rise to the occasion is an idiom meaning to perform especially well when faced with a difficult or important situation: “Despite the pressure, the team rose to the occasion and won the championship.” It uses the intransitive rise (the person moves upward metaphorically). You cannot substitute raise here — “raise to the occasion” is not a standard phrase.
Can raise mean to bring up a child?
Yes. Raise commonly means to bring up or rear a child: “She raised her three children alone”; “He was raised in Dublin.” In this sense, the child is the direct object being raised (looked after, nurtured). The equivalent British English verb is often bring up: “He was brought up in Dublin.” Both raise and bring up are correct; raise is slightly more common in American English for this meaning.
How do I remember whether to use rise or raise?
Use this quick test: ask “who or what is being moved?” If something external is being acted on (a hand, a flag, money, a question), use raise — it is transitive. If the subject is moving by itself (the sun, prices, water, a person standing up), use rise — it is intransitive. Memory shortcut: RAISE = Requires An Item Somewhere Else. If there is no item, choose rise. Also remember: raise is regular (raised/raised), which is the easier one to conjugate.
What does “raise eyebrows” mean?
Raise eyebrows is an idiom meaning to cause surprise, mild shock, or disapproval: “Her decision to leave the company raised eyebrows among her colleagues.” It uses raise because the eyebrows (the object) are being lifted — metaphorically — by someone’s action or words. You may also see “eyebrows were raised” in the passive. The idiom suggests that others find something unexpected or questionable, but not so shocking that it causes outrage.