Equivocation vs. Amphiboly: What are you really saying?

Tristan Van der Wereld

Apr 6 • ❓ Ask & Apply

1. Definitions

Equivocation

Definition: Exploiting a word’s multiple meanings to mislead.
Key Feature: The word itself is ambiguous.

Example:

"Feathers are light. Light cannot be dark. Therefore, feathers cannot be dark."

(Here, "light" switches between "not heavy" and "brightness.")

Amphiboly

Definition: Exploiting ambiguous sentence structure (grammar/syntax) to mislead.
Key Feature: The confusion comes from phrasing, not the word itself.

Example:

"The police shot the suspect with a gun."

(Did the police or the suspect have the gun?)

2. Key Differences

Refer to the image below.

3. 20 Examples of Each

Equivocation (Word Ambiguity)

"The law says you can’t sleep in the subway. I was just closing my eyes!" ("Sleep" = literal vs. loitering)
"All banks are beside rivers. Chase is a bank. So Chase is beside a river." ("Bank" = financial vs. riverbank)
"You said you’d ‘give me a hand.’ Where’s my extra hand?" ("Hand" = help vs. body part)
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana." ("Flies" = verb vs. noun)
"I’m not cheating; we’re in an open relationship!" ("Open" = honest vs. non-monogamous)
"The sign says ‘fine for parking here.’ Great, I’ll park!" ("Fine" = penalty vs. acceptable)
"You want a ‘hot dog’? Here’s my poodle on a summer day." ("Hot dog" = food vs. overheated pet)
"The chicken is ready to eat." (Is the chicken cooked or hungry?)
"You can’t trust a ruler; mine is 12 inches long!" ("Ruler" = leader vs. measuring tool)
"She’s ‘cool’—must be below room temperature." ("Cool" = stylish vs. cold)
"The priest said marriage is a ‘union.’ I support labor unions!" ("Union" = marriage vs. worker group)
"You need to ‘address’ the envelope. Okay: ‘Dear Envelope…’" ("Address" = label vs. speak to)
"The bartender said ‘shots are on the house.’ Where’s the rooftop?" ("On the house" = free vs. literally on a building)
"I’m ‘down’ for the party—does that mean I’m sad?" ("Down" = willing vs. depressed)
"The judge ordered a ‘stay.’ So I’m on vacation?" ("Stay" = legal delay vs. leisure)
"He’s ‘drawn to art.’ Did someone sketch him?" ("Drawn" = attracted vs. illustrated)
"She’s ‘left’ the building. Which way did she go?" ("Left" = departed vs. direction)
"The doctor said I’m ‘fit.’ So why can’t I lift weights?" ("Fit" = healthy vs. muscular)
"The criminal was ‘sentenced.’ What grammar rule did he break?" ("Sentenced" = punished vs. grammatical structure)
"The barista said my coffee was ‘on the level.’ Is it crooked?" ("Level" = honest vs. flat)

Amphiboly (Sentence Ambiguity)

"I saw a man on a hill with a telescope." (Who has the telescope?)
"The thief stole the painting in the museum." (Was the theft inside the museum?)
"She told her sister she was wrong." (Who was wrong?)
"The dog chased the cat in pajamas." (Who’s wearing pajamas?)
"Flying planes can be dangerous." (Is the act dangerous, or are the planes themselves hazardous?)
"The professor said on Monday he’d give an exam." (Did he say it on Monday, or is the exam on Monday?)
"The chicken is ready to eat." (Is the chicken cooked or hungry?)
"They’re hunting dogs." (Are they hunting for dogs, or are they dogs that hunt?)
"The police shot the suspect with a gun." (Who had the gun?)
"I once shot an elephant in my pajamas." (Who was wearing pajamas?)
"The burglar threatened the student with a knife." (Who had the knife?)
"The license expires after six years for a fee." (Does the fee cause expiration?)
"The car hit the pedestrian in the crosswalk." (Was the car in the crosswalk?)
"The woman donated her dress to charity that was stained." (Was the woman or the dress stained?)
"The man saw the train with binoculars." (Who had the binoculars?)
"The food is for the guests in the fridge." (Are the guests in the fridge?)
"The book was read by the lamp’s light." (Did the lamp read the book?)
"The student failed the test with the lowest score." (Did the test have the lowest score, or the student?)
"The company hired more women than men last year." (Does this mean more women were hired, or that women outnumber men?)
"The politician promised to raise taxes on the wealthy in his speech." (Did he make the promise in his speech, or is the tax hike in his speech?)