In this post, we will learn how to use ‘jibe’ and ‘jive’ correctly according to the correct standards. Usually, ‘jive’ takes over the meaning of ‘jibe’ because people aren’t aware of the existence of ‘jibe’. We can observe the misuse of the word ‘jive’ on a global scale and Malaysians aren’t the only ones making this mistake. Read along to find out how to use ‘jibe’ and ‘jive’ correctly in your sentences.

It may come as a surprise to many that ‘jive’ is a type of dance. Even more so, the word ‘jive’ is an African-American slang for ‘meaningless chatter’. As you can see, ‘jive’ does not mean ‘in agreement with’ or ‘matches’ as to how it is mistakenly used. Contrary to popular belief, the correct word to use in these cases is ‘jibe’.

The mistake between the two words may not be too obvious when spoken but is obvious when in written form. It may seem like a small mistake between the use of the letter ‘b’ and ‘v’ but the difference in meaning between the two is big. Reduce your risk of making such mistakes by reading this post to the end to see examples with Bahasa Melayu translations for sentences using ‘jibe’ and ‘jive’.

Make Your Sentences Jibe

Definition of Jibe:
‘Jibe’ carries the meaning of ‘in accordance with’, ‘in agreement with’, ‘to make sense’, or ‘to fit in’. ‘Jibe’ also means making remarks intended to hurt or offend or annoy someone.

As you can see above, ‘jibe’ is the correct term to use when describing that a few separate things can work together. Besides that, ‘jibe’ describes the act of making taunting remarks. However, on a daily basis, more people use the first definition of the word ‘jibe’ in their normal conversations. That said, most people wrongly use the word ‘jive’ in replacement for the correct word to use, which is ‘jibe’.

Examples Using ‘Jibe’

He was jibed at during the meeting over his mistake.
Dia disindir dalam mesyuarat atas kesilapannya.

Note from the example above that ‘jibed’ is translated as ‘disindir’ in its Bahasa Melayu translation. This is to say that ‘jibe’ in the sentence above carries the meaning of ‘making remarks intended to offend someone’.

All the side dishes jibe with the main course.
Kesemua lauk yang dihidang serasi dengan menu utama.

Note from the example above that ‘jibe’ is translated as ‘serasi’ in its Bahasa Melayu translation. This is to say that ‘jibe’ in the sentence above carries the meaning of ‘in agreement with’.

Jive To The Beat

Definition of Jive:
‘Jive’ is a form of dance that was widely popular in the 1950s which usually accompanies jazz music. ‘Jive’ is also a slang that carries the meaning of ‘loose meaningless chatter’.

As you can see from the definition above, ‘jive’ has nothing to do with presenting a few coherent facts. Nor does it have anything to do with separate things working well together. ‘Jive’ is a type of dance. Besides that, ‘jive’ describes a manner of speech that is deceptive and meaningless. Which is a slang word that is used by African Americans to describe foolish talk.

Examples Using ‘Jive’

Both of them jived to the jazz music.
Mereka berdua menari jive mengikut rentak muzik jazz.

Note from the example above that ‘jive’ is translated as ‘menari jive‘ in its Bahasa Melayu translation. This is to say that ‘jive’ in the sentence above describes the type of dance that was happening.

He loves jiving the ladies with his sweet talk.
Dia suka memberi janji palsu kepada wanita dengan kata-kata manis.

Note from the example above that ‘jive’ is translated as ‘memberi janji palsu‘ in its Bahasa Melayu translation. This is to say that ‘jive’ in the sentence above is spoken in the African-American meaning of the slang.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the best way to remember the difference between ‘jibe’ and ‘jive’ is to remember that ‘jive’ is a type of dance. And that when you want to use the word ‘jive’, most probably what you mean is ‘jibe’.

My own theory as to why people assume ‘jive’ is the correct word to express something that jibes is probably the assumption that when two or more things move in harmony (like dancing), those things jive. Of course, this is my own assumption and I could be wrong. Let me know in the Comment section if you have your own theory too.

If you like reading posts like this, you may read more about the common grammar error among Malaysian in below posts:
Disrupt VS Interrupt
Maybe VS May Be
Affect VS Effect

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and please let me know if you have any further questions. You may also suggest topics you would like to see me cover. Do leave a comment or you may simply reply to my email if you subscribe to my weekly email. Subscribe to my weekly email here if you would like to receive updates from me that I don’t share anywhere else directly to your Inbox.