Doorbell question!

I don't think I've ever heard someone say "press the doorbell"

You can do either, but beware, some doorbells are rung without pressing anything. Some, prior to electricity, were rung by pulling a cord that was physically attached to a bell, causing the bell to move and ring. Such devices remain in countries that value their history - such as your own - and preserve their buildings for a number of centuries, rather than knocking them down to construct a new fast food restaurant or Walmart.

Both work and make sense, but "ring the doorbell" is much more idiomatic.

You press the button to ring the bell. 

You ring a bell. You press a button. You press the button to ring the bell.

Ring the doorbell. I guess you could say "press the doorbell," but I've personally never heard anyone say that.

Ring if it's a bell, press if it's a buzzer. But it's not terribly important.

I'd mostly only say "I pressed the doorbell" if it didn't actually ring when I pressed it

Both **"ring the doorbell"** and **"press the doorbell"** are correct, but: * **"Ring the doorbell"** is **more common** in everyday conversation. It focuses on the **action/result** \- the sound it makes. * **"Press the doorbell"** is also correct, but a bit **more literal/technical** \- it focuses on **how** you do it. So yes, you can use them **interchangeably**, but **"ring the doorbell"** is more natural in most cases.

Ring is more common

I usually just knock.

Ohh, good question! 😊 I actually used to wonder the same thing. I think "ring the doorbell" is more common like, "I rang the doorbell but no one answered." But "press the doorbell" makes sense too, since you are pressing a button, right? 🤔 I used to say "press" all the time until my friend corrected me, lol. But honestly, people will totally understand either way!

Ring, absolutely.

Don't think I have ever said press. But it makes more sense when I think about it. But it's just not how I say it 😁

I'd say "ring"; I've never heard "press", but I wouldn't think much about it if someone said that instead.

Ring

Definitely ring.  Virtually no one says press. At best I could imagine someone saying "press the button on the Ring camera". I think it's because the doorbell is actually a machine that's up in a wall. You're pressing a button to activate it.  It's like you'd say "start the car" but "turn the key". You don't turn the car, but turning the key is the action that turns it on (just like pressing the button turns on the doorbell). 

Ring. Because you are not pressing the bell itself, but the button. But you are (in effect) ringing the bell by pressing the button.

You can use whatever. You can say "push" the doorbell too

You can use whatever. You can say "push" the doorbell too