Good vs Well
In English, good and well serve different functions: good is an adjective that describes nouns, while well is primarily an adverb that describes actions or sometimes a health state. This guide sorts them out with clear examples.
Good
Use good when describing a noun's quality, value, or suitability. It appears after linking verbs or directly before a noun.
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Well
Use well to describe how an action is performed, making it an adverb that modifies verbs, or to describe someone's health when used after verbs like "feel."
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Special Cases
Some verbs require good instead of well in casual speech, and audience matters: formal contexts favor well for performance and good for quality. Learn the small distinctions with examples.
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Summary
Remember: use good to describe things and well to describe actions or ability; when in doubt, test whether the word modifies a noun (use good) or a verb (use well).
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025