What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
tumbled
Example
The child tumbled down the stairs and scraped his knee. [tumbled: past tense]
Example
The rocks tumbled down the cliff and into the water below. [tumbled: past participle]
stumble
Example
I stumbled on the uneven pavement and almost fell. [stumbled: past tense]
Example
She stumbled over her words during the presentation. [stumbled: verb]
Example
The company stumbled in its efforts to expand overseas. [stumbled: past tense]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Stumble is more commonly used than tumble in everyday language. Stumble is versatile and covers a wide range of contexts, while tumble is less common and more specific in its usage.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between tumbled and stumble?
Both tumbled and stumbled are informal in tone, but stumbled is more versatile and can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
