A view is what you see from a place or what you happen to think: "The flat has a view of the park," "In my view, the ending is rushed." A review is a deliberate assessment made after going over something, or the write-up that results: "Please review the contract before Friday," "The film got mixed reviews." A view is held; a review is carried out.
Both words involve looking, but at different distances from the thing looked at. A view is immediate — the sight in front of you, or the opinion already in your head. A review is deliberate — you go back over something, weigh it, and reach a judgement.
How to use view
As a noun, view means either what can be seen from a spot or an opinion held: "From the top floor you get a view right across the estuary." "The board took the view that the deadline was unrealistic."
As a verb it means to look at, or to regard in a particular way: "You can view the plans on the council website." "Investors view the merger as risky."
How to use review
Review means to go over something in order to check or judge it, and also names the resulting piece of writing or the formal process:
- "I'll review the figures and come back to you tomorrow."
- "She writes restaurant reviews for a Sunday paper."
- "Your salary is under review."
The test
Swap in a substitute. If opinion or sight fits the slot, you want view. If check over or assessment fits, you want review. "In my opinion" works, so it is "in my view" — never "in my review" unless you literally published one.
The mistake to watch for
The commonest slip is using review where the sense is simply looking at something for the first time. You view a property, view a film, view a document — reviewing it means examining it critically or checking it again. "We reviewed the sunset" is wrong; "we viewed the sunset" is right, if a little stiff.
The reverse slip appears in workplace English: "Can you view this before I send it?" reads as a request to glance, not to check. If you want corrections back, ask someone to review it.
Note also that review carries the sense of going over again — reviewing notes before an exam, a policy review after a year. View never carries that repetition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it "in my view" or "in my review"?
"In my view." It means "in my opinion." "In my review" only works if you are referring back to an actual review you wrote: "As I said in my review, the second act drags."
Can I say "review the website" when I just mean look at it?
Better to say "look at" or "have a look at." "Review the website" implies you want an assessment or a list of problems back, so people will spend longer on it than you intended.
What does "under review" mean?
It means a decision, policy or case is currently being reconsidered and may change. There is no equivalent phrase with view.