Quick answer
Wield means to hold and use something, such as a sword or power. Yield means to produce a result, or to give way. Memory hook: you wield a weapon, but a field yields a crop.
The core difference
Wield means to hold and use a tool or power; yield means to produce something or to give way.
- wield — to hold and use a tool, weapon or power: She wielded the sword with practised ease.
- yield — to produce a result, or to give way: Drivers must yield to pedestrians at the crossing.
How to tell them apart
The two words look and rhyme alike, so they trip people up in writing. Ask what the subject is doing. If someone is in control of a tool or authority, it is wield. If something is being produced, or someone is stepping aside, it is yield.
Try this: yield rhymes with field, and fields yield crops. Wield starts with w, like weapon and will. The slip shows up in phrases such as wield a return on an investment, which should be yield, or yield an axe, which should be wield.
Frequently asked questions
Do you wield or yield power?
You wield power, meaning you hold and use it. You yield to power when you give way to it.
Does yield only mean give way?
No. It also means to produce, as in a field yielding a record harvest, and as a noun it is the amount produced, such as a bond yield.
Do wield and yield rhyme?
Yes, they end with the same sound, which is partly why they are confused.
