Worthwhile or Worthy? (and Worth) – Explanation & Exercises

Here is the simplest advice I can give on the difference between the adjectives worthy and worthwhile:

That is the most important distinction. See below for more details.

Word Family for 'Worth'

As you can see, worth, worthy, and worthy are all adjectives, but worth is also a noun. Let's focus on adjectives and their most common uses.

'Worthy' Means Something/Someone is Deserving of Recognition/Respect/Attention

The adjective worthy describes something that deserves recognition, respect, or attention. For example:

• His songs are worthy of recognition. (= The songs are good enough/deserve to be recognized.)
• The offer was not worthy of consideration. (= It did not deserve to be considered.)
• He is a man worthy of respect. (= He deserves to be respected.)

As you can see, worthy is often combined with the preposition of.

Worthy can also be used before a noun:

• The boxer wanted to find a worthy opponent. (He was looking for an opponent that deserved his attention.)
• I think this charity is a worthy cause. (The charity deserves respect/recognition as a cause.)

In summary, if you are talking about a noun (a thing or person) that deserves respect or attention, use worthy.

'Worthwhile' Means an Activity Has Enough Value to Spend Time On

The adjective worthwhile describes an activity (never a person) that has enough value to spend effort or time on.

Remember that the word while is always used with an activity that takes time. For example, I read while I take the train. Here, taking the train is an action that takes time.  Similarly to how we use while, you can only use worthwhile with activities that take time.

• Reading on the train is worthwhile.
• It is worthwhile to read on the train.

(Note: Worthwhile is sometimes written as two words, 'worth while', and sometimes 'worth my/your/his/her/their while'.)

Both of these sentences mean that reading is an activity that has enough value to justify doing it. Here are some more examples with the actions in purple:

• Getting your teeth cleaned by a dentist is worthwhile.
• Meeting Jane was worthwhile. 
• Mark is not sure if getting a Master's degree would be worthwhile.

Note: Expressions 'Worth the Time' & 'Worth Your While'

Instead of using worthwhile, you can also use the expressions worth your time / worth your while / worth it:

• Getting your teeth cleaned by a dentist is worth your time / worth the while / worth it.
• Meeting Jane was worth my time / worth it.
• Mark is not sure if getting a Master's degree would be worth his time / worth his while / worth it.

Worthwhile + Noun

Even without the verb representing the activity, we can still use worthwhile when the activity we are referring to is understood.

• I hope reading this lesson is worthwhile. > I hope this is a worthwhile lesson. ('This' refers to reading the lesson)
• Visiting the dentist was worthwhile. = It was a worthwhile visit. ('It' refers to visiting the dentist)

That's the end of the lesson on worthy vs worthwhile. If you'd like to read a little about worth, see below.

'Worth' Describes the Value of an Object

The adjective worth tells you the value (usually financial) of an object.

• That book is worth $10.
• I bought a table worth $300.

Worth can also refer to the value of investing time or effort. As mentioned above, when used this way, it is the same as worthwhile.

• It is not worth the time. (= It is not worthwhile.)
• It's not worth the effort. (= Doing it is not worthwhile.)

Worth + Gerund (Verb in ~ing Form) = Worthwhile

If you follow the adjective worth with a verb in the ~ing form, it has the same meaning as worthwhile. Compare:

• The movie is worth seeing. = Seeing the movie is worthwhile.
• It's worth getting travel insurance. = Getting travel insurance is worthwhile.

Is attending university worthwhile? What is the worth (value) of a university degree?

Do you think you understand? Try these exercises.

Exercises: Worthy, Worthwhile, or Worth

I hope reading this lesson has been worthwhile. If you find a mistake or have a question, please leave a comment below.

-- Matthew Barton / Creator of Englishcurrent.com (copyright)