has been con

USAGE SUMMARY

"has been con" is not a complete sentence, so it is not correct or usable in written English.
However, if you put it in context, you can use it in a sentence. Here is an example: "Everyone knows Joey has been conning people since he was a kid."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

La Gare has been con verted into a restaurant.

The Guardian - Travel

At least some of their evidence has been con firmed by soldiers who admit their comrades panicked and shot indiscriminately after the army incurred losses.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Unfortunately it is a scam, and he has been conned.

The Guardian - Tech

Since then Gwen has made two critically mauled flops and Eddie has been conned inside a New Age loony bin.

The Guardian - Film

One of the first things Mr. Ajamie does when someone who has been conned walks into his office is a Google search of the accused schemer.

The New York Times

The public has been conned into believing that the Grand National is a great sporting spectacle when, in reality, it is straightforward animal abuse that is on a par with Spanish bullfighting".

The Guardian - Sport

The assistant referee has been conned and unfortunately we lost a man from then on.

BBC

He has been conned by his backbenchers and so for us this is a political stunt that we will not be involved in it.

BBC

Adam discovers that he has been conned by Candy, and will not be receiving any return on his pornography investment.

Wikipedia

For as long as there have been suckers in the world, there have been con artists waiting to take advantage of them.

Vice

"Para" doesn't make sense in that context, unless you work for him, that is the preposition that goes with "trabajar".... [But] actually the best option would have been "con," that expresses general support.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Ensure the phrase is grammatically complete and conveys the intended meaning clearly. Consider using a more precise verb like "conned" instead of "con".

Common error

Avoid using the truncated form "has been con" without the past participle ending. Use "has been conned" for grammatical correctness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "has been con" functions as an incomplete passive construction, requiring completion with the past participle (e.g., "conned"). Ludwig flagged it as incorrect because it lacks grammatical completeness, signaling the need for the complete verb form.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Wiki

25%

Science

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the fragment "has been con" is grammatically incomplete, the completed form "has been conned" is used to indicate that someone has been tricked or deceived. Ludwig's analysis suggests that it's crucial to use the past participle "conned" for grammatical correctness. As Ludwig AI indicates, using "has been con" alone is incorrect. Usage patterns show the completed phrase frequently appears in news, wiki, and science media, with an overall neutral tone. Remember to complete the phrase for clear communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was swindled

Changes the tense and uses a synonym for "con" to indicate being deceived.

was tricked

Uses a simpler term, "tricked", to convey the idea of being deceived.

has been cheated

Employs "cheated" to express the idea of being unfairly deceived or swindled.

has been duped

Replaces "con" with "duped", indicating a similar meaning of being fooled.

was defrauded

Replaces "con" with a more formal term, "defrauded", also changing the tense.

has been deceived

Uses a more general term, "deceived", to describe being tricked.

was hoodwinked

Uses "hoodwinked" as a synonym for "conned", suggesting deception.

got scammed

Uses a more informal phrase, "got scammed", to indicate being defrauded.

has been manipulated

Uses "manipulated" to suggest a more subtle form of deception or control.

was taken advantage of

Replaces the direct term with a more passive construction indicating exploitation.

FAQs

How to properly use "has been conned" in a sentence?

Use "has been conned" when you want to say that someone was tricked or deceived. For example, "He "has been conned" out of his life savings".

What's a more formal way to say someone "has been conned"?

Instead of "has been conned", you can use phrases like "has been defrauded" or "has been swindled", which are more formal.

What are some informal alternatives to "has been conned"?

Informally, you might say someone "got scammed" or "was tricked" instead of "has been conned".

Is there a difference between "has been conned" and "has been deceived"?

While both imply being tricked, ""has been conned"" often suggests a financial scam or trickery, whereas "has been deceived" is a more general term for being misled.