Trick Someone Into Doing vs. Trick Someone To Do
Cambridge explicitly documents trick + object + into + -ing for deceiving someone so that they perform an action. Trick has other transitive meanings and phrasal patterns, so the guidance here applies specifically when naming the action the deceived person is caused to perform.
Use “trick someone into doing something” for the caused-action complement; do not treat “trick someone to do” as the parallel documented pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Context | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| someone is deceived into taking an action | trick someone into + -ing | Use the documented caused-action construction. |
| tempted to write “trick someone to do” as a parallel pattern | do not treat it as the default equivalent | Use the reviewed into + -ing construction for this meaning. |
| the action follows the object | use a gerund after into | Keep the preposition “into” before the -ing form. |
Quick tests
Complement-pattern test
Does the sentence mean that deception caused someone to perform an action?
If yes: Use “trick someone into doing something.”
If no: Recheck whether a different sense of “trick” is intended before choosing a complement.
Caveat: This guide is limited to the reviewed caused-action pattern; it does not claim that every use of “trick” requires this complement.
Examples
The message tricked him into revealing the code.
The person affected is followed by “into” and an -ing clause naming the induced action.
They tricked us into paying for an unnecessary upgrade.
The documented pattern is object + into + -ing.
A fake notice tricked several residents into clicking the link.
The -ing clause states the action caused by the deception.
Further guidance
Boundary
Trick has other transitive meanings and phrasal patterns, so the guidance here applies specifically when naming the action the deceived person is caused to perform.
Construction
Cambridge explicitly documents trick + object + into + -ing for deceiving someone so that they perform an action.
Decision
Use “trick someone into doing something” for the caused-action complement; do not treat “trick someone to do” as the parallel documented pattern.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- trick — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Trick + object + into + -ing construction