Bought vs. Brought

The difference between bought and brought is a very simple one. They are both past tenses of two different verbs and have totally separate meanings.

BOUGHT

‘Bought’ is the past tense of ‘buy’. Brought is defined as to carry, convey, lead, of cause to go along to another place.
E.g.

• I bought a new car last week.
• I brought the boxes.
• They brought enough clothes for the trip.

BROUGHT

‘Brought’ is the past tense of ‘bring’. Bought is defined as to acquire in exchange for money; to purchase.

E.g.

• I brought him a glass of water.
• I bought a new car.
• She bought dinner for two.

Their spellings are different because of an extra ‘r’ in ‘brought’.