What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
portray
Example
The artist portrayed the beauty of the sunset in her painting. [portrayed: verb]
Example
The article portrayed the politician as a corrupt and dishonest individual. [portrayed: past tense]
Example
The actor portrayed the role of a detective in the movie. [portrayed: past participle]
render
Example
The artist rendered a beautiful portrait of the model. [rendered: verb]
Example
The company rendered excellent customer service to its clients. [rendered: past tense]
Example
The storm rendered the roads impassable. [rendered: past participle]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Portray is more commonly used than render in everyday language, especially in the context of art or storytelling. Render is more commonly used in technical or specialized fields, such as computer graphics or engineering.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between portray and render?
Both portray and render can be used in formal or informal contexts, but render may be more commonly used in technical or specialized fields, which tend to have a more formal tone.
