Subscribe vs. Ascribe — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 5, 2023
Subscribe means to commit or pledge to a service, often by payment. Ascribe means to attribute something to a cause or source.
Difference Between Subscribe and Ascribe
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Subscribe and Ascribe are both verbs, but they serve very different purposes in the English language. To subscribe usually means to commit or enroll oneself to receive a particular service or product, often requiring a payment. On the other hand, to ascribe is to attribute or assign a quality, value, or origin to someone or something.
When one subscribes to a magazine, for instance, they're signing up to receive regular issues, typically by agreeing to pay a fee. Conversely, if one were to ascribe a quote to Shakespeare, they're attributing that specific quote to him, suggesting he is the originator of those words.
Many people subscribe to streaming services to access a plethora of digital content. This act is of committing or agreeing to something. However, when a historian ascribes a piece of art to a certain era, they are pinpointing where or when they believe it originated or was produced.
Subscriptions are common in our modern digital age, with many opting to subscribe to newsletters, online platforms, or memberships. Ascribing, in contrast, is a more analytical action, often used in discussions of literature, art, or observations to pinpoint a source or cause.
In the context of beliefs, one might subscribe to a certain philosophy, indicating their agreement or adherence to it. However, they might ascribe their success to hard work, indicating they believe their achievements resulted from their efforts.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
To commit or enroll for a service/product.
To attribute or assign a quality or origin.
Context
Often involves payment or agreement.
Often involves analysis or observation.
Application
Services, memberships, beliefs.
Literature, art, successes, observations.
Action
A form of commitment.
A form of attribution.
Example
Subscribe to a newsletter.
Ascribe a quote to an author.
Compare with Definitions
Subscribe
Offer to buy, as of stocks and shares;
The broker subscribed 500 shares
Ascribe
To consider or allege to belong.
Critics ascribe genius to her literary works.
Subscribe
To commit to receive or buy regularly.
I decided to subscribe to the monthly magazine.
Ascribe
To attribute as a quality or characteristic.
She ascribes honesty as her best trait.
Subscribe
To give consent or approval.
I subscribe to that opinion as well.
Ascribe
To attribute something to a particular source or cause.
Many ascribe the invention of the light bulb to Thomas Edison.
Subscribe
To endorse or adopt a particular theory or belief.
She subscribes to the philosophy of positive thinking.
Ascribe
To regard as arising from a specified cause or source.
He ascribes his success to hard work and perseverance.
Subscribe
Arrange to receive something, typically a publication, regularly by paying in advance
Subscribe to the magazine for twelve months and receive a free limited-edition T-shirt
Ascribe
To credit or assign, as to a particular origin or period.
Scholars ascribe this painting to the Renaissance period.
Subscribe
Express or feel agreement with (an idea or proposal)
We prefer to subscribe to an alternative explanation
Ascribe
Regard something as being due to (a cause)
He ascribed Jane's short temper to her upset stomach
Subscribe
Sign (a will, contract, or other document)
He subscribed the will as a witness
Ascribe
To regard as arising from a specified cause or source
"Other people ascribe his exclusion from the canon to an unsubtle form of racism" (Daniel Pinchbeck).
Subscribe
To pledge or contribute (a sum of money).
Ascribe
To regard as belonging to or produced by a specified agent, place, or time
Ascribed the poem to Shakespeare.
Subscribe
To sign (one's name) at the end of a document, especially to attest to or authenticate it.
Ascribe
(transitive) To attribute a cause or characteristic to someone or something.
One may ascribe these problems to the federal government; however, at this stage it is unclear what caused them.
Subscribe
To sign one's name to (a document) in attestation, testimony, or consent
Subscribe a will.
Ascribe
(transitive) To attribute a book, painting or any work of art or literature to a writer or creator.
It is arguable as to whether we can truly ascribe this play to Shakespeare.
Subscribe
To purchase or claim the shares of (a new issue of stock, bonds, or other securities)
A bond offering that is fully subscribed.
Ascribe
To believe in or agree with; subscribe.
Subscribe
To contract to receive and pay for a certain number of issues of a publication, for access to a website that is protected by a paywall, for tickets to a series of events or performances, or for a utility service, for example.
Ascribe
To attribute, impute, or refer, as to a cause; as, his death was ascribed to a poison; to ascribe an effect to the right cause; to ascribe such a book to such an author.
The finest [speech] that is ascribed to Satan in the whole poem.
Subscribe
To agree to an ongoing arrangement by which one receives online content, as from a specific website or a specific user on a website.
Ascribe
To attribute, as a quality, or an appurtenance; to consider or allege to belong.
More than good-will to me attribute naught.
Ascribes his gettings to his parts and merit.
And fairly quit him of the imputed blame.
Subscribe
To promise to pay or contribute money
Subscribe to a charity.
Ascribe
Attribute or credit to;
We attributed this quotation to Shakespeare
People impute great cleverness to cats
Subscribe
To purchase or claim shares of a new issue of stock, bonds, or other securities
An investor who subscribed for 100 shares.
Subscribe
To feel or express hearty approval
I subscribe to your opinion.
Subscribe
To sign one's name to a document.
Subscribe
(ergative) To sign up to have copies of a publication, such as a newspaper or a magazine, delivered for a period of time.
Would you like to subscribe or subscribe a friend to our new magazine, Lexicography Illustrated?
Subscribe
To pay for the provision of a service, such as Internet access or a cell phone plan.
Subscribe
To believe or agree with a theory or an idea to}}.
I don’t subscribe to that theory.
Subscribe
To pay money to be a member of an organization.
Subscribe
(intransitive) To contribute or promise to contribute money to a common fund.
Subscribe
(transitive) To promise to give, by writing one's name with the amount.
Each man subscribed ten dollars.
Subscribe
To agree to buy shares in a company.
Subscribe
(transitive) To sign; to mark with one's signature as a token of consent or attestation.
Parties subscribe a covenant or contract; a man subscribes a bond.
Officers subscribe their official acts, and secretaries and clerks subscribe copies or records.
Subscribe
(archaic) To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
Subscribe
(obsolete) To sign away; to yield; to surrender.
Subscribe
(obsolete) To yield; to admit to being inferior or in the wrong.
Subscribe
To declare over one's signature; to publish.
Subscribe
(intransitive) To indicate interest in the communications made by a person or organization.
Please like this video, and subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Subscribe
To register for notifications about an event or similar.
If you subscribe to the MouseClick event, your application can react to the user clicking the mouse.
Subscribe
To write underneath, as one's name; to sign (one's name) to a document.
[They] subscribed their names under them.
Subscribe
To sign with one's own hand; to give consent to, as something written, or to bind one's self to the terms of, by writing one's name beneath; as, parties subscribe a covenant or contract; a man subscribes a bond.
All the bishops subscribed the sentence.
Subscribe
To attest by writing one's name beneath; as, officers subscribe their official acts, and secretaries and clerks subscribe copies or records.
Subscribe
To promise to give, by writing one's name with the amount; as, each man subscribed ten dollars.
Subscribe
To sign away; to yield; to surrender.
Subscribe
To declare over one's signature; to publish.
Either or must shortly hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward.
Subscribe
To sign one's name to a letter or other document.
Subscribe
To give consent to something written, by signing one's name; hence, to assent; to agree.
So spake, so wished, much humbled Eve; but FateSubscribed not.
Subscribe
To become surely; - with for.
Subscribe
To yield; to admit one's self to be inferior or in the wrong.
I will subscribe, and say I wronged the duke.
Subscribe
To set one's name to a paper in token of promise to give a certain sum.
Subscribe
To enter one's name for a newspaper, a book, etc.
Subscribe
Mark with one's signature; write one's name (on);
She signed the letter and sent it off
Please sign here
Subscribe
Adopt as a belief;
I subscribe to your view on abortion
Subscribe
Pay (an amount of money) as a contribution to a charity or service, especially at regular intervals;
I pledged $10 a month to my favorite radio station
Subscribe
Receive or obtain by regular payment;
We take the Times every day
Subscribe
To pledge or contribute a sum of money.
Many locals subscribed to the fundraiser for the school.
Common Curiosities
How is ascribe used in sentences?
Ascribe is used to attribute or assign a quality, value, or origin to someone or something.
Can you subscribe to an idea?
Yes, to subscribe to an idea means to agree with or endorse that idea.
What does it mean to subscribe to a service?
To subscribe means to commit or enroll to receive that service, often in return for payment.
In what fields is ascribe commonly used?
Ascribe is commonly used in literature, art, and scholarly discussions to attribute sources or origins.
Can you subscribe to a newsletter?
Yes, subscribing to a newsletter means you'll receive regular issues or updates, typically via email.
What's the opposite of ascribe?
The opposite could be "disavow," meaning to deny any responsibility or attribution.
Do subscriptions always require payment?
No, some subscriptions are free, but many involve a payment or commitment.
Is it common to ascribe emotions to events?
Yes, people often ascribe feelings of happiness or sadness to specific events or experiences.
Is ascribing always about giving credit?
Not always; ascribing can also be about attributing blame or responsibility.
Can businesses subscribe to services?
Yes, businesses often subscribe to software, updates, or other service packages.
Are subscriptions always physical deliveries?
No, subscriptions can also grant digital access, like to online platforms or e-magazines.
Is a subscription a one-time thing?
Typically, a subscription involves repeated deliveries or access over a specified period.
Can you ascribe a sound to a source?
Yes, you can ascribe a sound to its origin, like ascribing a noise to a nearby radio.
How do you use ascribe in terms of art?
One might ascribe a piece of art to a specific artist or period, indicating its believed origin.
How does one cancel a subscription?
Cancellation methods vary, but often involve contacting the service provider or adjusting settings in an account.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
