Enroll vs. Register — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 12, 2023
Enroll means to officially join or become a member of an institution or group; Register means to record or enter formally on a list, database, or system.
Difference Between Enroll and Register
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Both Enroll and Register are used to signify joining or listing oneself in a particular system or group. However, nuances differentiate the two. When one Enrolls, it typically implies formally joining an institution or program, like enrolling in a school or a course. The emphasis here is on the membership aspect. On the other hand, to Register can be broader and might mean simply adding one's name or details to a list, like registering for a seminar or an online platform. The stress is on recording information.
Enrolling often suggests a commitment or an ongoing relationship. For instance, once you Enroll in a college, you're expected to attend for the duration of your course. Conversely, Registering can be a one-off action. You might Register for a workshop, attend it, and that's the end of your commitment. In some contexts, the words can be used interchangeably. For example, one might enroll or register for a class. Yet, there are scenarios where only one word fits. You Register a product for warranty, but you don't enroll it. You Enroll in a health insurance plan, but you don't typically register in it.
Moreover, the term Register has other meanings not related to Enroll, such as denoting a particular scale or range of voice or instrument. The versatility of Register is evident in its diverse applications, from music to machinery. Enroll, on the other hand, remains more narrowly focused on the act of joining or becoming a member.
Lastly, in specific systems or institutions, the terms might be used to indicate different stages of a process. In a conference, you might first Register (provide details for the record) and then Enroll (pay and confirm participation).
Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
Join or become a member
Record or enter on a list
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Commitment Level
Often implies ongoing commitment
Can be a one-time action
Versatility
Narrower focus
Broader usage, with various meanings
Usage in Education
Enroll in a school/course
Register for a seminar/workshop
Other Meanings
Mostly about joining
Scale of voice, type of machinery, etc.
Compare with Definitions
Enroll
To join or become a member of an entity.
She decided to enroll at the local community college.
Register
To sign up for an event or service.
I'll register for the webinar next week.
Enroll
To officially sign up for something.
John chose to enroll in the advanced pottery class.
Register
A device or apparatus that records data.
The cash register is malfunctioning.
Enroll
To recruit or gain as a member.
The army aims to enroll 1,000 new recruits this year.
Register
A particular range or scale of voice or instrument.
His voice is in the tenor register.
Enroll
To insert, register, or enter in a list or catalog.
His name was enrolled in the Hall of Fame.
Register
To show or be noticeable.
The emotion didn't register on his face.
Enroll
To enter or register in a roll, list, or record
Enrolled the child in kindergarten.
Enroll the minutes of the meeting.
Register
A formal or official recording of items, names, or actions.
Enroll
To roll or wrap up.
Register
A book for such entries.
Enroll
To write or print a final copy of; engross.
Register
An entry in such a record.
Enroll
To place one's name on a roll or register; sign up
We enrolled in the army.
Register
The act of registering.
Enroll
(transitive) To enter (a name, etc.) in a register, roll or list
Register
A device that automatically records a quantity or number.
Enroll
(transitive) To enlist (someone) or make (someone) a member of
They were eager to enroll new recruits.
Register
(Computers) A part of the central processing unit used as a storage location.
Enroll
(intransitive) To enlist oneself (in something) or become a member (of something)
Have you enrolled in classes yet for this term?
Register
An adjustable, grill-like device through which heated or cooled air is released into a room.
Enroll
To envelop; to enwrap.
Register
A state of proper alignment
To be in register.
Enroll
To insert in a roil; to register or enter in a list or catalogue or on rolls of court; hence, to record; to insert in records; to leave in writing; as, to enroll men for service; to enroll a decree or a law; also, reflexively, to enlist.
An unwritten law of common right, so engraven in the hearts of our ancestors, and by them so constantly enjoyed and claimed, as that it needed not enrolling.
All the citizen capable of bearing arms enrolled themselves.
Register
Exact alignment of the lines and margins on the opposite sides of a leaf.
Enroll
To envelop; to inwrap; to involve.
Register
Proper positioning of colors in color printing.
Enroll
Register formally as a participant or member;
The party recruited many new members
Register
The range of an instrument or a voice.
Enroll
To become a participant in a program.
Parents can enroll their children in the summer camp.
Register
A part of such a range.
Register
A group of matched organ pipes; a stop.
Register
A variety or level of language used in a specific social setting
Speaking in an informal register.
Writing in a scientific register.
Register
To enter in an official register.
Register
To enroll officially or formally, especially in order to vote or attend classes.
Register
To set down in writing
Registered the events of the day in his diary.
Register
To express or make known
Registered his dissatisfaction with the chef.
Register
To indicate (data). Used of an instrument or scale.
Register
To be indicated as
The earthquake registered 6.8 on the Richter scale.
Register
To give outward signs of; express
Her face registered surprise.
Register
To attain or achieve
Registered a new high in sales.
Register
To cause (mail) to be officially recorded and specially handled by payment of a fee.
Register
To adjust so as to be properly aligned.
Register
To place or cause placement of one's name in a register.
Register
To have one's name officially placed on a list of eligible voters.
Register
To enroll as a student.
Register
To have a list of gifts for preferred wedding presents, as at a store. Used of a couple.
Register
To be indicated on an instrument or a scale.
Register
To be shown or expressed, as on the face
The teacher's reprimand did not register on the students' faces.
Register
To make an impression; be recorded in the mind
The warning failed to register.
Register
To be in proper alignment.
Register
A formal recording of names, events, transactions, etc.
The teacher took the register by calling out each child's name.
Register
A book of such entries.
Register
An entry in such a book.
Register
The act of registering.
Register
A certificate issued by the collector of customs of a port or district to the owner of a vessel, containing the description of a vessel, its name, ownership, and other material facts. It is kept on board the vessel, to be used as evidence of nationality or as a muniment of title.
Register
One who registers or records; a registrar; especially, a public officer charged with the duty of recording certain transactions or events.
A register of deeds
Register
A distinct horizontal (or, more rarely, vertical) section of a work of art or inscription that is divided into several such sections.
Register
A device that automatically records a quantity.
Register
(telecommunications) The part of a telegraphic apparatus that automatically records the message received.
Register
(telecommunications) A list of received calls in a phone set.
Register
(computing) A small unit of very fast memory that is directly accessible to the central processing unit, and is mostly used to store inputs, outputs, or intermediate results of computations.
Register
(printing) The exact alignment of lines, margins, and colors.
Register
(printing) The inner part of the mould in which types are cast.
Register
(music) The range of a voice or instrument.
Register
(music) An organ stop.
Register
(linguistics) A style of a language used in a particular context.
My ex-boss used "let go", in the euphemistic register, when he sacked me.
Register
A grille at the outflow of a ventilation duct, capable of being opened and closed to direct the air flow.
Register
Clipping of cash register
Register
(transitive) To enter in a register; to enlist.
Register
(transitive) To sign-up, especially to vote.
Register
(transitive) To record, especially in writing.
Register
(ambitransitive) To buy the full version of trial software by providing one's details and payment.
This is a trial version, and will expire in 30 days. Please register!
Register
(transitive) To express outward signs.
Register
To record officially and handle specially.
Register
To make or adjust so as to be properly or precisely aligned.
Register
(intransitive) To place one's name, or have one's name placed in a register.
They registered for school.
Register
(intransitive) To make an impression.
Register
(intransitive) To be in proper alignment; to align or correspond exactly.
Register
(legal) To voluntarily sign over for safe keeping, abandoning complete ownership for partial.
Register
A written account or entry; an official or formal enumeration, description, or record; a memorial record; a list or roll; a schedule.
As you have one eye upon my follies, . . . turn another into the register of your own.
Register
A record containing a list and description of the merchant vessels belonging to a port or customs district.
Register
One who registers or records; a registrar; a recorder; especially, a public officer charged with the duty of recording certain transactions or events; as, a register of deeds.
Register
That which registers or records.
Register
A lid, stopper, or sliding plate, in a furnace, stove, etc., for regulating the admission of air to the fuel; also, an arrangement containing dampers or shutters, as in the floor or wall of a room or passage, or in a chimney, for admitting or excluding heated air, or for regulating ventilation.
Register
The inner part of the mold in which types are cast.
Register
The compass of a voice or instrument; a specified portion of the compass of a voice, or a series of vocal tones of a given compass; as, the upper, middle, or lower register; the soprano register; the tenor register.
Register
A stop or set of pipes in an organ.
Register
To enter in a register; to record formally and distinctly, as for future use or service.
Register
To enroll; to enter in a list.
Such follow him as shall be registered.
Register
To enter the name of the owner of (a share of stock, a bond, or other security) in a register, or record book. A registered security is transferable only on the written assignment of the owner of record and on surrender of his bond, stock certificate, or the like.
Register
To enroll one's name in a register.
Register
To correspond in relative position; as, two pages, columns, etc. , register when the corresponding parts fall in the same line, or when line falls exactly upon line in reverse pages, or (as in chromatic printing) where the various colors of the design are printed consecutively, and perfect adjustment of parts is necessary.
Register
An official written record of names or events or transactions
Register
(music) the timbre that is characteristic of a certain range and manner of production of the human voice or of different pipe organ stops or of different musical instruments
Register
A book in which names and transactions are listed
Register
(computer science) memory device that is the part of computer memory that has a specific address and that is used to hold information of a specific kind
Register
An air passage (usually in the floor or a wall of a room) for admitting or excluding heated air from the room
Register
A regulator (as a sliding plate) for regulating the flow of air into a furnace or other heating device
Register
A cashbox with an adding machine to register transactions; used in shops to add up the bill
Register
Record in writing; enter into a book of names or events or transactions
Register
Record in a public office or in a court of law;
File for divorce
File a complaint
Register
Enroll to vote;
Register for an election
Register
Be aware of;
Did you register any change when I pressed the button?
Register
Indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments;
The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero
The gauge read `empty'
Register
Have one's name listed as a candidate for several parties
Register
Show in one's face;
Her surprise did not register
Register
Manipulate the registers of an organ
Register
Send by registered mail;
I'd like to register this letter
Register
Enter into someone's consciousness;
Did this event register in your parents' minds?
Register
To enter or record in an official list or directory.
She needs to register her new car with the DMV.
Common Curiosities
Can Enroll and Register be used interchangeably?
In some contexts, like for classes, they can, but they often have nuanced differences.
Can you Register for a school?
Typically, one enrolls in a school but might register for specific classes or seminars.
Which term is broader in meaning?
Register is broader and can mean recording, a scale of voice, or even machinery.
Does Enroll imply a longer commitment?
Generally, yes. Enrolling often indicates an ongoing relationship, like with a school.
Does Register always require payment?
No, registering is often about providing information, not necessarily making a payment.
Can a name be Registered in the Hall of Fame?
It's more common to say a name is Enrolled in the Hall of Fame.
Which term has a musical connotation?
Register can refer to a scale or range of voice or instrument.
Do you Register or Enroll a product for warranty?
You Register a product for warranty.
Is Register always about joining something?
No, it can mean simply recording information or details.
Can you Enroll a product for warranty?
Typically, no. You would Register it.
Can you Enroll in a webinar?
It's more common to Register for a webinar.
Can Enroll mean simply adding one's name to a list?
Yes, but it often implies a deeper level of commitment or participation.
In education, what's the difference between the two terms?
One might enroll in a college but register for individual seminars or workshops.
Do you Enroll or Register in a health insurance plan?
Typically, you Enroll in a health insurance plan.
If I'm joining a library, do I Enroll or Register?
Either could work, but it's more common to Register with a library.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
